Zero Division
by Sesshomaru's Secret Admirer
Summary: Japan, Tokyo. Modern Times. Kagome is forced through the well to return to her time. Numb, she thought that Youkais no longer existed in her time. But once she is offered to join a Police Division that is unknown to the public, she soon finds out that Youkais live amongst humans. Zero Division, known for their dangerous missions, Kagome decides to join after seeing a familiar face.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One- Recruit**

Dim lights flickered within the warehouse. Silence filled the empty space except for the footsteps of armed men on guard. Hidden in the darkness, blue eyes peered behind a wall and landed on the target. Four men stood in the middle of the warehouse surrounding the hostage tied up in a chair. Her skin tingled as adrenaline streamed through her system. Using her hand, she signalled at her team to move forward. She watched them surround the warehouse on the second floor, aiming their weapons towards all doors ready to snip their targets down. Everyone in position, her grip tightened around her gun.

Kagome pushed away from behind the wall and aimed her gun at the four men. "Put your hands in the air."

The sound of the gun cocking echoed in the empty warehouse. The four guards immediately pointed their guns at her and snickered. Noticing the four guards approaching her and leaving the hostage, a slight smirk tugged at her lips. A wave of excitement burst forth. Kagome ran towards the four men that stood in her way from her target. Not expecting the girl to run towards danger, the men frantically tried to aim and shoot. Within combat distance, Kagome dropped and kicked the first guard's legs causing him to fall from losing balance. She spun and punched the next guard unconscious.

'Two down, two left to go,' she thought to herself. Her kick landed straight in the middle of another guard's chest making him fall a few feet away. She watched as more flocks of guards rushed through the doors. Each one was snipped down by her team mates on the second floor.

A hand grabbed her arm, reminding her that there was one more guard to deal with. Kagome twisted her arm and pulled away. She dodged a punch near her ribs and in return elbowed his sides. He flinched and fell to his knees to which Kagome took the chance to shoot him. Kagome aimed her gun and shot.

Splat.

"Game over," She said with a smirk.

The man kneeling in front of her looked down at his vest covered in paint and chuckled. "You won again."

Kagome watched as all the guards covered in paint stood from the ground. Kagome lowered her paint ball gun. The warehouse lights brightened as she saw her team mates join her on the main floor.

Mission complete. Kagome smiled as she untied the hostage, that was a doll, from the chair.

Clap clap clap.

Kagome turned to see the Police Academy sensei and chief appear from behind the back room.

Her sensei smiled proudly and spoke, "You've passed the exam with an excellent record. Your mission to obtain the hostage safely was successfully accomplished."

Kagome and her team mates bowed in response.

"The strategy your team used was very interesting and quite brave. You would need to have placed a lot of trust in each other to have completed this strategy," the chief said as he patted Kagome's shoulder.

Kagome smiled and looked at her team mates, "I knew they had my back. I trust them."

Kagome's smile widened as she saw her closest team mate and friend, Sakura, smile back.

The chief continued, "Well, you have all passed the Police Academy exam and so your award ceremony will be tomorrow. The Police force recognizes you and welcomes you."

Kagome heard her team mates cheer. She clenched her hand into a fist as she felt the adrenaline still coursing through her body from the mission. Her eyes closed as she remembered the past;

Her days with Inuyasha,

The Shikon no Tama,

Her friends.

They had won the fight against Naraku, but once that was over with she was forced to return to her time.

Her brows furrowed. The well gave her no choice.

After the well had closed two years ago, attending a University and getting a normal job like a normal person just couldn't cut it for her anymore. Every day in the past was an adventure, a fight for survival, a mission. Stuck in her time was just numbing.

She didn't want to feel numb anymore.

So, she joined the Police Force.

She wanted it back.

The adventure, a mission, fighting for something good.

The adrenaline that she loved feeling slowly faded as the excitement of the mission was over. Yes, she lived for the danger. Blue eyes flickered open as she smiled. She was right to join the Police Force. This is where she belonged.

##

"Hello, Ami," a weary smile tugged on his lips.

Ami looked up from her computer and said curtly, "Ah, Commissioner Saito-san. You're here to show the new recruits?"

"H-Hai," he said as he gulped.

"Go ahead," the secretary said as she returned her focus back to the computer screen.

Looking down at the stacks of files in his grasp, he hesitated. Each year he selected new recruits he thought would be suitable, but the General always said none were good enough. He hoped the General would recruit at least one new officer.

A timid knock sounded against the General's office door.

"Come in," a low voice commanded as a chill shot down the Commissioner's back at the hollowness of the voice.

Saito poked his head into the General's office. He noticed the General signing documents and hadn't bothered to meet his gaze. With another gulp, Saito cautiously walked to the General's desk and handed him the files. He quickly informed the General, "These are the new recruits to the Police Force. I've hand picked the best ones."

Saito paused as he noticed the General hadn't acknowledged him at all. He still continued nervously, "The first file is Kagome Higurashi, who excelled above all the students in the Police Academy. She's received many stunning recommendations from her sensei's and chief."

Golden eyes flickered towards the file at the sound of the name.

A picture of this Kagome Higurashi was clipped onto the file.

Dark ebony hair.

Milky white skin.

Clear blue eyes.

"Miko." His eyes narrowed. The picture of a human that looked identical to the miko he knew in the past caught him off guard.

"Ah, yes, she is the daughter of the Higurashi shrine. I guess that would make her a Miko," Saito mumbled in confusion, not knowing how the General knew of Kagome Higurashi's heritage. Saito gathered himself and was about to summarize the next recruit when he was interrupted.

"Recruit her."

"Uhh, Kagome Higurashi?" Saito said dumbfounded and astonished that the General had chosen someone so quickly after rejecting so many times in the past.

"Out."

Pause.

The Commissioner blinked. Then slowly doing what he was commanded, the clueless Commissioner left the office.

The office was silent once more.

Golden eyes flickered back to the picture of the miko.

'How?'

Curiosity flashed briefly past his eyes before fading into a blank stare.

##

 **Author's Note: I hope you enjoyed the first chapter!**

 **Your reviews are cherished and appreciated.**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two- Graduation

Huge bouquets of flowers decorated the stage set up outside the Police Academy. "Graduation Day" written in bold across the stage. Parents, friends and relatives crowded the clearing as they witnessed their loved ones walk across the stage and receive their certificate.

Cheering, laughter and clapping echoed within the clearing.

The noise faded as time passed by.

The crowd around the Police Academy dispersing.

In the middle of the clearing, she stood gripping tightly at the piece of certification. A wave of satisfaction consumed her entire body. She had done it. She had graduated from the Police Academy after two years. It hadn't been a hard decision to enroll in the Police Academy. No, the hardest part was pushing herself to be the best.

Beaten black and blue,

Always falling behind in training,

She was considered the weakest amongst the group when she first started. She naturally fell into the role she took in the past with Inuyasha; the protected one. Each time her team was tested in a mission simulation like their final exam, she'd failed to protect all the victims.

" _Why is it that one of us have to cover for you all the time because you can't protect yourself?! You're supposed to be the one protecting the victims! You're supposed to be rescuing them!"_

Blue eyes darkened as she remembered. Had the simulations been real, real human beings would have been killed...because of her; because she was weak.

It was from that point she trained harder, worked harder and fought harder. The number of victims that died during their mission simulation decreased each time until the number of deceased/injured victims remained zero.

Kagome stared down at the certificate in her hand. A sense of warmth spread throughout her chest. Oh, how she wished Inuyasha and her friends were here with her. With a sad smile tugging at her lips, she closed her eyes. She was on a new journey now.

"Kagommmeeee!" Blue eyes flickered open to see a mob of her team mates smother her with hugs. Laughter and tears was shared amongst her team members. She knew they were each going separate ways.

"Hisa was recruited into the army and I am going to join the police force after this," Sakura said. She asked, "Where will you go, Kagome?"

Kagome paused. Where did she need to go to find the missions and purpose she wanted? "I don't know yet."

"Kagome Higurashi!" she looked for the person who called for her and noticed the chief waving at her. Kagome waved at her team members and approached the chief.

"Higurashi, I have good news," the chief said as Kagome bowed to greet him. "I have someone waiting to meet you. Come, come."

Kagome followed behind the chief as they made their way into his office. Through the clear glass windows, she saw a man wearing the uniform status of a Commissioner. Soon standing before this man, Kagome bowed. The chief introduced, "This is the Commissioner in charge of several divisions. He requested to see you, Higurashi. I will give you two some time to talk then."

The office door closed shut, leaving her with this man.

"Please, sit down, Higurashi," the Commissioner said as he pointed to a chair. Kagome cautiously moved to sit down. Feeling a stare, she looked to see the Commissioner examine her. "I came here to recruit you, Higurashi."

Kagome remained silent as she kept her gaze fixed on the Commissioner. 'For the Commissioner himself to recruit an officer...'

"There is a particular division that not anyone can join. It seems the General has approved of you though."

"What division would this be?" Kagome asked.

The Commissioner paused before saying, "Zero Division."

Kagome furrowed her brows. Recalling her lessons, she knew that there was no such Division in the books.

"Not many know of this Division," the Commissioner explained after noticing the confusion on her face.

Interesting.

The feeling of excitement pumped through her blood. A Division that was not known to the public, meaning it was either too dangerous or was trying to hide something.

The Commissioner eyed Higurashi as he said one word. "Youkai".

Blue eyes widened as her gaze flew towards the Commissioner. 'Impossible. I must have heard it wrong'.

Slightly shocked by Higurashi's reaction, Saito paused. It seemed Higurashi knew about Youkais. Was that why the General wanted to recruit her? "Zero Division works with Youkais. Since Youkais are hidden from the public, the Division helps deal with keeping them in order."

"Youkais are still alive?" Kagome breathed out. Her skin began to tingle and she felt her heart beating against her chest.

Saito glanced at the shocked miko and said, "Yes. I will give you a few days to decide whether you would like to join the Division-"

"I'd like to join," she quickly answered. She didn't need time to think.

Stumbling with his words, Saito said, "W-well then, here is my c-card." Handing her a business card, he continued, "The headquarters are written on here. I will see you there tomorrow."

Kagome stood up and bowed as the Commissioner exited the office.

Click.

Left alone, her knees caved as she fell to sit on the floor. A loud breathe escaped her.

Youkais were still alive.

'How?' She could never feel a single youkai aura.

She stared at the business card in her hand. The tingling sensation burst through her body.

Youkais were alive.

The excitement she loved feeling washed over her.

She would join Zero Division.

She was on a new journey.

##

A tall glass building loomed above her as she stared at the business card in her hand and then back at the building. This was the place. Taking one step at a time, she entered the building.

'Still no youkai aura.' Kagome glanced around to see only humans. Reaching the front desk, she paused. The secretary standing before her tilted her head to the side and asked, "How may I help you?"

"Ummm," Kagome hesitated, not knowing what to say. "I'm here to see Commissioner Saito?"

The secretary continued, "Yes, which division are you from?"

"Zero Division." Kagome watched with interest as the secretary suddenly tensed. Kagome followed the direction the secretary gave her which led her to an elevator door in an abandoned hallway. She pressed the button to which the elevator responded and opened its doors. Slowly stepping into the small elevator, she saw only one button.

Click.

The elevator doors closed and jolted. Losing her balance, she collided with the elevator walls. With a surprisingly fast speed, the elevator sped upwards for quite some time until it came to a stop.

Ding.

Kagome gasped as the elevator doors opened. Appearing to be on the building's top floor, the space was huge. Glass walls surrounded the entire floor, allowing sunlight to beam through. Busy flocks of people rushed from cubicle to offices with stacks of paper.

"Ah, Higurashi!" Saito came to greet the stunned miko. "Right this way. I'll show you to your office."

Her eyes roamed around as she followed the Commissioner. She stared into the offices that seemed to be sound proof, but were all glass walls allowing you to see inside. Her eyes were drawn towards the only office on the second floor that was located to observe the entire floor. Walking towards the direction of that office, she wondered if the office belonged to the General. Suddenly, Kagome caught a glimpse of the figure inside the office.

Her footsteps halted.

Her body froze.

She met eyes with golden ones.

##

 **Author's Note: I'm so glad many enjoyed the first chapter. Your kind words are always my motivation.**

 **Your reviews are cherished and appreciated.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three- Questions**

She recognized him.

He watched as she froze at the sight of him. His eyes followed her as she charged towards his office, leaving the Commissioner panicking to stop her after seeing where she was headed. She climbed up the steps with great purpose until she froze again in front of his door.

Had she finally realized who she was approaching?

Amusement flicked past his eyes as the miko knocked against his office door.

Perhaps, not.

The Commissioner had finally caught up to the miko and tried to drag her back down and away from his office. Below, the workers watched the scene as they held their breath.

None would dare approach him unless work related issues forced them to.

Her blue eyes met with his. He waved a finger and gave her permission to enter.

She easily twisted away from the Commissioner's grasp and opened the door. She felt her legs turn to jelly as she stumbled a few steps towards him. She stood face to face with him. Kagome took in his features.

Golden eyes were still stoic, yet no longer looked at her with disgust.

Two magenta strips across his pale skin.

A crescent moon symbol above his forehead.

Silver soft hair flowed past his waist.

He wore a fitted suit and used a modern haori as a jacket.

"Sesshomaru..." she breathed out in shock.

Blue eyes grew distant as she saw the past before her. White adorned his clothing with scattered sakura blossoms. Deadly spikes adorned his chest plate. His swords positioned around his waist.

He stared at her with a blank expression. "Miko."

She snapped out of her daydream at the sound of his voice.

"How are you still alive?"

"Oh," she managed to say, remembering that Sesshomaru never knew about the well. "I am actually from this time. I fell through an ancient well when I was 15 years old that brought me to the feudal era."

A small smile tugged on her lips as she thought, 'He remembered me'.

Accepting her explanation, Sesshomaru turned away from the miko and approached his desk.

"How did the youkai race survive? Why are they hiding from the public? What happened?" Kagome let all the questions she wanted to know slip through her lips.

As if knowing the miko would have many questions, he pulled out a book and placed it on his desk in front of her.

She sucked in her breath. Slowly approaching the desk, her eyes remained glued to the book. She placed a hand over the hardcover and allowed her fingers to graze the familiar feeling of the book.

It was her history textbook she had lost.

Opening up her high school textbook, she noticed the pages were worn out as if it was read through a million times.

"This is how the youkai have survived."

Kagome looked up at him and whispered, "How?"

"Humans have always feared our kind. Unlike the feudal era were humans cowered under the fear of youkai, they've evolved into killing the things they fear. The book showed that humans would one day make weapons that could instantly kill a youkai."

"So you had to adapt," Kagome said in understanding.

"Not everyone agreed. They were caught and killed for being many things; Witches, vampires, sea monsters, big foot, werewolves." His gaze darkened as he remembered the stubborn ones who refused to conform.

Her brows furrowed, slightly confused. She had always thought Sesshomaru would be the one to refuse to change and live hidden amongst humans. His pride would not allow it. "What made you choose to adapt then?"

His eyes turned to look straight into hers, reminding her of the little girl that followed him in the feudal era.

Her lips whispered, "Rin."

His expression softened for a split second at the sound of her name before becoming stoic.

No longer wishing to test Sesshomaru's patience of answering her questions, she bowed low. "Thank you for answering my questions, General."

Click.

The office door closed shut.

He watched the Commissioner scramble to retrieve the miko and lead her to her office. His gaze landed on the history textbook. It amazed him how she never took credit for what she had done for the youkai race. Not once did she say that the textbook was hers.

Respect.

She would never understand that her existence had saved the youkai race.

##

"Higurashi, never barge into the General's office like that again! You were probably let go easily today because you are new here, but the punishment will not be light next time. Don't give me a heart attack," the Commissioner lectured her. Walking behind the Commissioner, he did not see the smile that rested upon her lips the entire time.

Finally arriving in front of her office, the Commissioner halted causing Kagome to bump into him. Kagome responded to the Commissioner's glare with a sheepish smile.

"This will be your office, Higurashi."

She stared through the glass walls that showed a huge furnished space. There was a desk and computer set up, couches in the middle, a wall lined with book shelves and a huge white board. Kagome gasped and opened the glass door to her office. Her eyes caught the scenery the office looked out towards. Passing by all the furniture, she stood in front of a glass wall that looked down upon the city of Tokyo.

Fluffy clouds reflected rays of sunshine onto the city.

Crowds of citizens busily walking towards their destinations.

Smoke rising from chimneys and cars.

Buildings in all shapes and sizes stretched far into the distance.

To have an office this big... she wondered what she was responsible for in Zero Division. She had thought she would be starting from the bottom of their ranks.

As if reading her thoughts, the Commissioner said, "The General has placed you in charge of one of the teams in Zero Division. Each team is responsible for tracking down youkai rebels who wish to reveal their race to the public and," the Commissioner raised two fingers of each hand and gestured air quotation marks, "take over the world."

She was shocked.

She was placed as a team leader.

"You will meet your team members soon," the Commissioner piped in.

Her brows furrowed. Her team members will probably not like a new recruit as their team leader.

The Commissioner said sternly, "You have been assigned to a mission."

A tingling sensation spread through her arm at the excitement of those words.

##

 **Author's note: Thank you for reading!**

 **Your reviews are cherished and appreciated.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four- Intuition**

He sensed the presence of the youkai he was expecting.

"Come in."

The kitsune bowed before stating, "You called for me, General?"

With his back turned towards the kistune, he said, "I've met the owner of that book."

Green eyes noticed the worn out history textbook on top of the General's desk.

Immediately, the kistune went tense as Sesshomaru felt the waves of shock and disbelief emitting from his aura.

"She's here," he breathed out, perhaps doubting that this was all a dream. The dream he dreamt so many times over the centuries, of one day reuniting with Kagome.

"You will tell me everything now."

The kistune looked at the General who was now staring straight at him. Never had he questioned him about the history textbook until now. 'If Sesshomaru has met Kagome, then it was safe to tell him,' he guessed.

"How did you know the history textbook was from Kagome?"

Sesshomaru flipped the book to its last page. Pointing at a small scribble of words, the kistune read 'Kagome Higurashi'.

The kistune chuckled revealing his fangs.

Red and orange shades mixed in his hair as it was tied up in a high pony tail that reached his waist.

His chiseled face replaced the youthful appearance he once had.

No longer was his wide green eyes filled with innocence,

They were sharper and held wisdom that matched his youkai age.

"Shippo," Sesshomaru said sharply, demanding answers.

After a pause, Shippo's expression grew dark as he remembered the past. "Before the last fight with Naraku, I had a feeling she was going to leave the feudal era and return to her time. I could just feel it in my gut. So, the young and naive kitsune, that I was, thought that if I had one thing that belonged to her, it wouldn't hurt too much when she left us. I took her history textbook, not knowing what it truly was, and hid it near the Goshinboku tree."

Shippo neared the worn out book and grazed it lovingly as if stroking the face of the woman who loved him unconditionally. With dazed eyes, memories flashed before him. "I held onto this book for a hundred years, until I was old enough to realize how accurate the book was in predicting the future. I knew something like this was powerless in my hands."

Shippo stared at his General and finished, "That is why I gave it to you."

"Though I wonder why you never asked me about this earlier. It seems you are quite interested," Shippo said with a smirk.

Raising a brow, he simply said, "You looked like you'd rather choose death than reveal the secrets behind the book. I have no use for a dead kistune."

A cold shiver ran up Shippo's spine. He admitted that was the truth though. Kagome had once told him that the more people knew about her time travel, the more risk there was for something to change. That was why Kagome and Inuyasha never talked about the future. Not even after she left did Inuyasha speak of it.

"Also, that mission will be completed today." Cold eyes narrowed towards the kistune.

Shippo tensed and breathed out, "Who will be in charge?"

"The Miko."

##

Blink blink.

Kagome stared at the three members sitting on her office couch. Under her intense gaze, the female that looked so much like Sango and the male that looked identical to Shippo, began to shift uncomfortably in their seat.

"Shall we introduce ourselves?" A cheerful voice interrupted. Kagome stared at the owner of the voice. His short black hair and black suit contrasted against his pale white skin. Kagome saw the cheerful smile on his lips, yet his purple eyes seemed hollow.

"My name is Hikaru. I'm from the crow clan... well the last member of the crow clan. You can tell by my wings." Kagome gasped as black feathers spurted out from Hikaru's back and formed wings. Mesmerized, she whispered, "Beautiful."

A flicker of emotion passed through his face before a huge smile appeared on his lips. Hikaru laughed loudly and said, "Thank you, thank you."

With the ice broken, a shy voice said, "Hello, my name is Kannako. I am the descendent of the taijiya clan."

Blue eyes brimmed with tears, yet she refused to let them fall. Kagome stared at Kannako who looked just like her dear friend. Grabbing Kannako's hand, which shocked the poor girl, she shook them fervently. "I'm so glad we met, Kannako."

"I am Itsuki." The kistune youkai stood up from his seat and saluted towards Kagome. She watched his serious expression and smiled. She wondered how Shippo had changed.

"Ah, you're always so serious, my son," a familiar voice entered the room.

Her eyes flew towards the direction of the voice. "Shippo!" She exclaimed loudly and ran towards him. Wrapping her arms around him, she embraced the kistune that she had so much love for. Now in the modern times, she could no longer wrap her entire arms around him. With his height, she had to now stand of the tip of her toes. His childish scent now replaced with a manly one. His head no longer in reach for her to stroke it. Breaking away from the embrace, she held in her tears.

"Father, what are you doing here?" Itsuki said in surprise. Kagome's expression softened as she saw Itsuki's once serious face crumble into the look of awe before his father. 'Still his father's little boy,' Kagome thought.

"I thought you should know something about your team leader," Shippo informed the team members.

"Well, she is a new recruit. We don't know anything about her, neh?" A cheerful smile appeared on Hikaru's lips.

Kagome looked at Hikaru wondering if those words held a hint of resentment. The cheerful appearance hid whatever he wanted to hide well hidden.

Clearing his throat, Shippo said, "Yes, the General has specifically chosen Higurashi as the team leader, so pick your battles wisely." Shippo glared at the smiling crow before ordering the team members to leave.

One by one, each member bowed before exiting her office. Unable to look away from the grown kistune, she whispered, "I can handle my own battles, Shippo."

"I know you can, Kagome." His eyes softened towards only her.

She knew now was not the time to catch up on their past. Sucking in a breath, she asked, "So what is my mission?"

Shippo stiffened and furrowed his brows. He gave her the file he was holding and allowed her to look through the notes and pictures. "There is one youkai rebel I need you to bring back."

Her eyes landed upon a picture of a kistune youkai that appeared 15 years old and looked exactly like Shippo. Kagome looked up to see a father's face filled with sorrow. "He has a gentle soul, Kagome. Masaru, my second son, can be a bit irrational sometimes, but I fear I made him go to such lengths and join the youkai rebels."

Kagome held a hand towards Shippo and brushed his cheeks. "I'll bring him back. I promise."

Knowing that her promises were not lightly taken, he felt a burden lift from his shoulders. If anyone could save his son, he knew Kagome could do it.

##

On the second story office, through the glass walls, golden eyes remained glued onto her hand that rested upon the kistune's cheek.

Averting his attention, he walked over to his desk and opened up the book. As if memorized, he turned to the page that showed an ancient drawing of an inuyoukai and human girl. The folktale had been about a cold hearted inuyoukai, who slaughtered millions of innocent people, learning to care for a little human girl. Clawed hands brushed over the folktale that had been scribbled over with a pen. Beside it was a paragraph as if the folktale was rewritten.

 _The tale of Sesshomaru and Rin. An inuyoukai on a quest to find supreme power encounters a little human girl who teaches him unconditional love. Having travelled alone for many centuries, he was unfamiliar with emotions. Their silent interactions between him and the little girl allowed him to observe and feel what was once foreign to him. Those who feared him tried to kill him. Those who knew him saw the kindness buried deep down in his heart._

When he first read this, he scoffed at her fantasies about him. Then, he was furious that she made him appear so weak. Afterwards, he grew curious of the girl who acted like she knew his kindness when their only encounters were during a fight. As many centuries passed by, he acknowledged that the miko had a strong sense of intuition.

She was able to see what many could not.

Perhaps even what he could not see.

##

 **Author's Note: That was intense. I hope you are ready for the next chapter!**

 **Your reviews are cherished and appreciated.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five- Listen**

Fitted black fibre made from dragon skin clung to her entire body. She wore a bullet proof vest and a belt loaded with spare ammunition. Kagome securely attached her loaded gun to her belt. A gust of wind travelled towards her direction, allowing her to close her eyes and take in a deep breath of fresh air. Loud bustling sounds of traffic echoed upwards to the top of the building from which they stood. Placing a foot on the edge of the building, she looked at the sky scraper across from her where the youkai rebels gathered. Glass walls stretched high into the sky though the tinted windows kept out unwanted spies.

Turning to look at her team, she felt sturdy. Itsuki was stationed in front of several computers, ready to inform her of the route to Masaru's room and where guards were located. Kannako and Hikaru would be her distraction, if she needed more time. Looking towards Hikaru, she nodded. Black feathers spread out into wings and soared into the sky. Grabbing his feet, they flew towards the tower where the rescue mission would take place.

"Go through the 60th floor," she heard Itsuki communicate through her earpiece. Kagome looked up to see Hikaru fly upwards to the 60th floor and smashed into the windows causing it to shatter. Kagome rolled onto the ground and quickly recovered her ground. Hikaru gave her two thumbs up and then flew back to the group.

"Straight ahead." She began to run towards the direction Itsuki instructed her. Hearing footsteps echo, she placed a barrier around her to hide her scent.

The adrenaline coursed through her entire body.

"Two guards walking towards your direction." Blue eyes flickered to her right and hid behind a wall. Once the two guards approached her, she kicked away from the wall. Hitting the pressure point in the neck with one, she kicked the other in the stomach knocking him unconscious.

"Nice one," she heard Hikaru say in the background, causing her to smirk. Itsuki said, "He should be in the room at the end of the hall, Leader."

Running as fast as she could, she neared the end of the hall. There, she stood in front of a concrete door. As if the door sensed her motion, it opened. Furrowing her brows, she cautiously walked past the door and faced her target.

Suddenly, the concrete doors slammed shut behind her causing her to jolt in shock. She returned her gaze back to her target and noticed him sitting lazily on a couch.

A voice that had lost hope breathed out, "Who sent you?"

She looked at the boy with stern eyes. "Your father."

The kitsune who had looked so lifeless seconds ago straightened his posture and looked at her with fierce eyes. Screaming with a voice that carried his scars, he said, "Lies. He doesn't want me. He wouldn't send someone to bring me back!"

"Masaru..." she heard Ituski's pained whisper resound in her ear.

"Why did my father send you? He hates me. I hate him. He doesn't want me back," Masaru continued his pained cries. The more he said, the more Kagome saw that he was begging for help.

"Leader, he won't listen to you. Our mother died while giving birth to him. He blames himself. He never believed either my father nor I when we tried talking sense into him. It's hopeless," the defeated voice of Masaru's brother sounded in her ear.

It hurt.

"You're not the first to be sent by my father. They all say the same thing. That it wasn't my fault. They all sound like lies to me."

The pain. The guilt. It was all there in his green eyes. The young kitsune carried it all on his own small shoulders.

"Father will never forgive me. He'd never," he whispered to himself as if it was a chant. He was trying to deny everyone's words to protect his heart. He wouldn't let their words leave him with hope.

"Even a father can hold a grudge." She saw through his expression and knew her words stung.

Masaru paused before words escaped past his lips in disbelief, "What?"

 _Father never blamed me. I blamed myself._

Bangs covered her eyes from the pained kitsune. "A father can hate his own child. Isn't that what you believe?"

Masaru flinched as he felt a searing pain spread throughout his chest. "No."

 _Father tried to save me from myself._

"And you must hate your father if you chose to side with your father's enemy?" Blue eyes stared at him with a blank expression as her voice remained nonchalant.

Clenching his eyes shut, he muttered, "...No"

 _I was the one placing a wall between father and I._

"Your father doesn't love you, does he?"

Masaru screamed, "LIES!"

He couldn't lie to his heart anymore.

Tears streamed down his cheeks as he remembered his father. His father who had always showed him love. His older brother who was always there to protect him when others blamed him for his mother's death behind their backs.

"Lies. It's all lies." His entire body shaking, his heart broke.

Why didn't anyone hate him for causing mother's death?

A warm touch stroked his head repeatedly. The warmth soothing his tattered heart. A kind voice whispered, "Come back with me, Masaru. Come back to us."

Teary eyes looked up to see her soft expression. He stammered truthfully with a hint of fear, "I know too much. They'll come for me if I leave."

Stroking the young kitsune's hair, she promised, "I'll protect you. Your father will protect you. Your brother will protect you."

A hesitant nod was all she needed.

"Leader, there are several troops headed towards the room," Itsuki choked out, sounding as if he had just cried.

Kagome eyed the concrete door as Masaru said, "There's no exit."

"Hikaru, can you hold two people?"

She could imagine Hikaru's goofy smile as he said, "I can, but I dunno if I can catch two people."

"Try," Kagome said with a smirk. Aiming her loaded gun towards the tinted glass wall, she infused her reiki with the bullets. Several shots were fired before the glass wall shattered into pieces. The concrete wall slid open and emerging from the door were rows of troops aiming their guns at the two.

A muscular youkai stationed in the front glared at the two. "Masaru, you dare leave the youkai rebels?"

Kagome stood in front of the kitsune in a protective manner. "Do you have a problem?"

The youkai, who appeared to be a tiger breed, narrowed his eyes at her. "He'll die if he leaves."

"Not if I can help it," She said before pushing Masaru out through the open wall.

"Fire!" She heard the youkai demand before she followed Masaru and jumped out of the building.

Holding onto Masaru, she felt gravity pull her down with speed. Slicing through air, she screamed, "Hikaru!"

The crow youkai sped up to catch her, but the weight of two fell more quickly than one. Kagome let go of Masaru and pushed him towards Hikaru, who caught the kitsune with ease. Nearing the bottom of the building, Hikaru's arm wrapped around her waist just in time.

"I guess I can catch two people," a smile tugged on his lips as Kagome laughed. Feeling a sting on her arm, she hissed.

Masaru said softly, "You're hurt."

She noticed the bullet wound in her arm that managed to get her before she jumped out of the building. "I'll be okay. Are you hurt?"

Kagome watched with adoration as Masaru shook his head quickly as to reassure her. Shippo was right. Masaru had a gentle soul.

##

Kagome watched from a distance as Masaru was smothered under the embrace of his father and brother. Her eyes softened at the sight of tears that were shed between the family that was now whole again.

"You're hurt." She turned around and saw Sesshomaru staring at her arm. She mumbled, "Just a bullet wound."

Sesshomaru pointed at a worker and ordered, "Get a doctor."

With a bow, the worker scurried off to do as the General commanded.

Kagome noticed the curiosity clouded behind his eyes and asked, "What would you like to know, General?"

He stared at the miko who had asked the correct question. "How did you persuade Masaru to come back?"

Many officers were sent to rescue the kitsune, yet none returned unharmed. How was it that the miko was able to bring him back then?

"A closed heart will not listen to anything you say. They will only believe what their mind feeds them. But if you tell them what their mind feeds them, their heart will come to the rescue and remind them of their truth." Kagome smiled at the inyoukai who appeared to be in deep thought. She glanced over to see a rush of people in white gowns approach her. "I wonder if your heart remains closed, Sesshomaru or have you begun to listen to it?"

Sesshomaru snapped his attention towards the miko. She was surrounded by a team of doctors working to heal her wounded arm.

His heart.

Golden eyes stared at the miko's bloodied arm.

His heart told him...

He didn't like the miko getting hurt.

##

 **Author's Note: I hope this chapter gave you a rush of excitement. Was there any particular scene you enjoyed most?**

 **Your reviews are cherished and appreciated!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six- Follow**

A crescent moon appeared from the clouds as darkness covered the city streets. Her footsteps echoed against the pavement as she exited the headquarters and headed home. Slowing down, she came to a halt. Her eyes narrowed as she looked behind her. Nothing was there, but she could feel the eyes trailing behind her.

Who was following her?

Continuing her trek home, she slipped into a dark and deserted alleyway. It only took a few seconds before two strangers in trench coats followed her into the alleyway. She slammed the head of one into the brick wall causing him to slump onto the ground. Kagome pushed the other into the wall and secured her forearm over his neck making him choke.

"Why are you following me?"

The man in the trench coat gasped out, "To give you a warning."

"Who sent you," she said while pushing harder against his throat.

With his face almost turning blue, he gagged, "Youkai Rebel. General Noboru."

Releasing her grip over the man's throat, she hit his pressure point causing him to join his fellow mate on the alley floor. She couldn't go home. There might be more that followed her. She would not place her family in danger.

Walking back towards the headquarters, she took the elevator up to the top floor. "I'm sure Sesshomaru won't mind if I live in my office for a while," she mumbled to herself.

Ding.

The elevator slid open and she headed for her office. The headquarters were brightly lit, yet empty. Everyone had gone home.

"Miko, what are you doing here?" She spun around and looked up to see Sesshomaru standing outside his office.

She said the first thing that popped up in her mind. "Ummmm, overtime?"

His blank stare told her he didn't buy into her lie at all. Letting out a deep breath, she confessed, "I was followed by two youkai rebels. They were sent by Noboru to give me a warning."

His eyes scanned her to see if she received any injuries.

"They didn't hurt me, though I can't say the same for them," Kagome smirked.

Making his way down the steps, he neared the miko.

Unable to read his expression, Kagome rambled on, "I didn't think you'd mind if I crashed at my office for a while. I didn't want youkai rebels to find out where my family lived."

She watched him brush past her and head towards the elevator.

"Come."

After a brief hesitation, a small smile tugged on her lips. She obeyed and followed her General.

She had followed and was led to a place she never thought could exist in Tokyo.

A gasp slipped past her lips as she stepped out of the car. Tall green trees surrounded the entire clearing as mist rose from a natural hot spring. Along the pebbled path she stood on led to a traditional Japanese house. The tall wooden structure was decorated with carvings along the walls. The tiled roofs added elegance to the house. It felt like she had fallen into the well and travelled back to the feudal era.

Following behind Sesshomaru, she passed the front entrance. Her eyes wandered, drinking in all the details of the house. It was the hallway that passed by the garden that left her breathless. A courtyard full of flowers and plants of all sorts stretched far into the distance as a trickle of water flowed from all directions connecting to a pond.

"This place is beautiful, Sesshomaru," she voiced quietly in awe. "It's as close to the feudal era as I'll ever be."

He glanced at her from the corner of his eyes. They stopped in front of a paper door. Clawed hands slid open the door to reveal a comfortable sized room. It appeared to be already furnished like a guest room.

"Thank you, Sesshomaru," she bowed low in gratitude. Straightening her back, she noticed he had already walked off. Her expression softened as she remembered what he told her during their car ride.

'Stay as long as you need, Miko.'

Warmth tingled against her chest.

A sweet smile remained on her lips.

##

Ding.

The elevator door opened. Only this time, she felt a hundred eyes staring at her as she entered the headquarters side by side with the General. Murmurs spread throughout the office. Shrugging, she patted Sesshomaru on the back and said, "See ya."

She turned to head for her office, not minding the stare that Sesshomaru sent her way. Reaching her office, she saw Shippo and Masaru waiting for her.

Masaru stared at her with a grave expression. "I want to tell you everything I know."

Shippo placed a hand on Masaru's back. Kagome felt the urgency in both their expressions. Sitting at her desk, she told Masaru to continue.

Masaru unfolded a blue print of the sky scraper he resided in. "These are the blue print to the entire place."

Pointing at the top room, he said, "This is where Noboru resides."

Recognizing the name, she asked, "Who is he?"

"He's the leader of the entire youkai rebel. I've only met him once, but he didn't seem youkai or human."

Tilting her head to the side, she wondered what that meant.

"He had a stench of miasma and he uses different forms. I've never seen his original form."

Kagome flickered her eyes towards Shippo and knew he caught on to what she was thinking. It sounded like Naraku; a creature birthed from hatred.

"The tiger youkai you saw works right under Noboru. His name is Yuu. From what I know, the youkai rebel have recruited 10,000 youkais. They plan to invade Japan and drive out all the humans. Once they've taken over Japan, they'll go abroad."

Placing a hand over the one that appeared to be shaking, Kagome whispered, "It's okay."

Masaru held up a small smile.

"There was once a hanyou called Naraku in the feudal era that grew powerful by absorbing youkai. Do you know if there were any who did not return after encountering Noboru?"

Though it confused the young kitsune to hear a human talk about the feudal era with familiarity, fear conquered his logic thoughts. Masaru gulped. He said, "There have been many, but we thought they were killed because they betrayed the youkai rebel."

"So another Naraku-like creature using the youkai rebel to get what he wants," Shippo said with a grimace.

Knock knock.

"A delivery for Masaru," a worker said while handing a package to the young kitsune. Masaru took the package and looked at the label to read where it came from.

Kagome felt eyes on her again. She cautiously scanned the perimeter of her office. Catching a worker covering his face with a hat and quickly turning away from her, she noticed he wore a post office uniform.

"Shippo, follow that post officer," she told him hurriedly. Immediately, Shippo went after him. Hearing the young kitsune open up the package. She realized her mistake.

"Masaru don't!"

Too late.

A burst of miasma exploded from the box and engulfed the kitsune.

A barrier of reiki glowed against the purple mist and purified the evil aura.

Kagome lugged Masaru out of her office. He held a hand over his throat and choked for air. Masaru tried to cough out the miasma, but the mist seemed to re-enter his airway. She yelled, "Doctor! Someone get the doctor!"

A rush of people in white coats approached the kistune and covered an oxygen mask over his nose and mouth.

The oxygen mask filled with miasma causing Kagome to rip it off the kistune. Masaru's skin turned purple as his throat constricted and blocked his airway. Not knowing what else to do, Kagome released a faint aura of reiki that surrounded Masaru.

His hand fell away from his throat.

He wheezed, catching a bit of air.

"What happened?" Sesshomaru demanded.

Shippo returned with the post officer and threw the youkai in front of the General. "He got through security somehow."

Narrowed eyes peered down at the shivering youkai. He was not pleased with the fact that a youkai rebel was able to set off an attack inside his headquarters.

A stench of fear drenched the rebel as he confessed, "He will take over the world and make it so that we, youkai, no longer have to hide! Noboru will kill you all-"

The youkai's words were never finished as a poisoned whip sliced through the body, leaving a puddle of acid sizzling on the ground.

"The boy will stay with me," He said to the kitsune.

Shippo looked at the General in shock before bowing low in silent gratitude. Masaru would be the safest with Sesshomaru until Noboru was taken care of.

Kagome gathered the unconscious Masaru in her arms and followed Sesshomaru. Tears that seemed to be on the brink of falling remained in her eyes. Her heart ached each time Masaru wheezed and struggled to breathe.

Sesshomaru watched her in the corner of his eye,

How she cared.

How she protected.

An unfamiliar feeling tugged his chest.

A frown lasted on his face for a brief second.

##

 **Author's Note: Thank you all for showing so much interest towards this story. I loved reading about everyone's favourite scene in the last chapter. I hope to read all your thoughts again.**

 **Your reviews are cherished and appreciated!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven- Revenge**

It took a week for Masaru to fully recover from the incident. Every passing day, Kagome sat by his side watching him struggle to breathe as her reiki purified the miasma he choked out. It took a week for the miasma to fully exit his lungs, although his lungs would never be the same again. Every passing day, Kagome itched to get her revenge on the youkai rebel for what they did to Masaru.

Wearing her uniform, she stood in front of the rebel headquarters.

The time had finally come.

Her hand clenched onto a leaf that placed a spell on her outwardly appearance. All would see and smell that she was a youkai. Through her ear piece she could hear Kannako and Hikaru confirming their entrance into the building. Itsuki remained in a van with his computers parked a few metres away from the headquarters. Flipping out her ID card that Masaru had personally made for her team, she entered the building and swiped the card against the security gate. A green light flickered as the gate opened for her to pass through.

"I'm in," Hikaru said as he entered into the motherboard where all intelligence information could be gathered and sent back to Zero Division.

The sound of his voice seemed off. Kagome narrowed her eyes.

Kannako murmured, "I'm in."

A hint of uncomfortableness was heard in her voice, for she too had to use a spell to appear youkai. No humans were allowed inside the youkai rebel. Not any that would come back out alive. Kannako walked towards the elevator and went directly for the security room as back up in case they needed an emergency exit.

Kagome avoided eye contact from the crowd of youkai walking past her. She reached the elevator and noticed there was no button for the top floor. Pressing the floor Hikaru was at, she waited in the crowd of youkai. Not a single one noticing her human presence.

Ding.

The last one off the elevator, Kagome stepped out. She scanned the floor and watched Hikaru from afar. Something about him felt very off. His usual cheerful expression was still there, but seemed almost forced. His usual relaxed nature seemed almost rushed today.

"Transferring all the data to you, Itsuki," she heard Hikaru say.

"Roger," Itsuki responded. "It'll take 5 minutes."

"I don't have 5 minutes," Hikaru said in an awkward chuckle.

Kagome instructed, "Kannako, set an emergency alarm on the 56th floor. It'll give Hikaru more time."

She thought she picked up the sound of someone clicking their tongue in annoyance. Kagome shook her head and focused her attention back to their mission. She only had to wait seconds before an alarm resounded throughout the whole building with a voice instructing a troop to investigate the 56th floor.

"Transfer complete," Itsuki informed the team, letting them know their mission was done and to move out.

"Good for you guys." The sudden change in Hikaru's cheerful voice stopped everyone in their tracks. "I'm going to see Noboru now that I'm finally here."

"Hikaru, you will follow the plan," Kagome snapped urgently, "That is an order."

"I've done what you want me to do. Now I'll do what I need to do." The sound of his ear piece cracking was heard. Hikaru was disconnected.

She watched Hikaru attack the youkai in his surroundings. Outnumbered, Hikaru was easily captured and dragged away by guards. It was all too easy as if he wanted to be caught. Scared for what Hikaru planned to do, she hesitated. As a team leader, she needed to get the remaining members to safety. "Kannako, will you be safe in the security room for 10 more minutes?"

"I will."

"I'm gonna retrieve that idiot," Kagome snarled. She caught sight of Hikaru being dragged into a room before the doors closed behind him. Her lips thinned in annoyance. She looked around and saw that everyone was minding their own business as if a youkai being dragged away was a normal every day ordeal. Kagome slipped into the room she saw Hikaru enter. There she saw a single elevator.

'Bingo,' she thought. The doors opened and closed behind her when she stepped in. With only one button on display, she clicked it. Within a few seconds, the door opened.

Ding.

It was the top floor. Clouds of miasma drifted in the air. The lights on the ceiling were few and poorly lit. She saw guards facing a huge purple figure hidden amongst the mist and darkness. Immediately, the spell that made her appear youkai vanished with a poof. She took out her gun from the belt around her waist. She noticed Hikaru slowly being sucked into a slime-like substance.

"A human?" A husky voice said slyly causing her to feel disgust in the pit of her stomach. She felt eyes on her, but didn't know where they came from. "Are you from the Zero Division as well? How interesting. Perhaps I'll absorb you too and see what information you hold in that human brain of yours."

Kagome quickly dodged to the left avoiding a liquid substance that was squirted at where she just stood. Adrenaline shot through her veins as she ran towards Hikaru who was about to be absorbed forever. Guards chased her and closed in. Hundreds of purple liquid whizzed by her so fast that it cut into her skin. She felt the miasma stinging her open wounds.

"Kannako, 60th floor," she ordered through the ear piece quietly.

Only inches away from Hikaru, she desperately reached out and grabbed his arm. It took all her strength to detach his body away from the absorbing liquid. Residue of the slime dripped onto her hand making her want to gag. Kagome snapped her eyes in the direction of the angered figure. His youkai ki flared to life, informing her that he was about to attack with the intent to kill.

She eyed the piles of slimy flesh that probably belonged to Noboru. There was so much flesh, it reminded her of Naraku's hibernation phase. Pouring her reiki into her weapon, she shot blindly into the darkness where she thought his main body might be. A tortured scream echoed. The guards tried to capture her, but her bullets reached them first. She lugged Hikaru's unconscious body and latched his belt securely onto hers. Kagome gripped the grappling hook and tore the hook into part of what belonged to the Noboru's flesh. Another scream followed. Kagome shot several bullets through the glass wall and jumped out with Hikaru attached to her.

High above ground, wind whipped by ferociously.

Kagome gripped the only rope that held them above ground. She kicked away from the wall as she tread downwards. Noticing the familiar floor, Kagome saw Kannako had already laser cut open a glass wall from the 60th floor. Kagome passed the unconscious youkai to Kannako before heading down a few more floors to the 56th. The glass wall came crashing down. She unhooked herself from the rope and ran.

"Kannako, get to the van with Hikaru. I'll distract," she ordered.

"Yes, leader," Kannako responded.

In a matter of minutes, troops were chasing her closely. Kagome led the troops on a goose chase as she bought time for Kannako and Hikaru to get out of the building.

Bullets fired at her direction.

She twisted and turned down the endless hallways.

"Leader, I have Kannako and Hikaru with me. There is a blind spot at the end of the hall way," she heard Itsuki communicate. Kagome ran to the end of the hall and pulled out another leaf from her belt. The spell switched on, transforming her appearance to that of a youkai. Stepping out of the blind spot, Kagome watched with hesitation as youkai troops ran past her. She let out the breath she held in. Entering the elevator once more, she arrived at the lobby.

Ding.

Shouts and stomping echoed throughout the headquarters.

Emergency alarms blasted through the speaker phones.

A crowd of confused youkai shielded her figure as she leisurely walked out of the building.

##

She glared at the youkai who stood in front of her. His head lowered, facing the ground yet felt her heated gaze.

A tense pause filled the office.

With no ears or eyes to witness their meeting, Kagome demanded, "What happened."

Hikaru kept his eyes downwards. He had regained his consciousness by the time they returned to Zero Division and heard what had happened. His cheerful expression gone and permanently replaced with that of defeat. He croaked out, "He killed my entire clan. Today was his weakest state. I was inches away from him to get my revenge. I didn't care if I died."

Her hand connected harshly across his cheek. The force of the hit causing him to stumble a few steps back. Shock written across his face and for once his eyes filled with an emotion.

"That was for risking the lives of your team mates and for recklessly throwing away yours."

The taste of iron filled his mouth as he covered his burning cheek with his hand. Too shocked to react, he remained speechless.

"Perhaps you've been alone for some time that you've forgotten what it's like to work as a team, but you are not the only one who wishes to destroy Noboru."

His entire clan was killed when he was only 8. What else did he know besides being alone?

"I will not have anyone on my team placing others in jeopardy."

He only knew how to hide behind a smiling mask, manipulating others to achieve his goals. What was it like to be in a team?

A brief pause was all it took for the truth to sink in.

Sorrow sunk into the depths of his heart.

His eyes turned to look upwards as his world crumbled around him.

He knew what it felt to be in a team... to have a family.

Ah, it was the only reason he was alive.

Whether it was during his clan's massacre and saved by his parents, or during a mission and saved from his recklessness by his leader... he wasn't alone.

Trembling hands slowly reached to cover his red marked cheek. Splatters of tears collided with his skin. In a weak voice, he whispered, "It hurts."

It hurt that he now realized how precious his team in Zero Division was.

It hurt to think he was going to be kicked out.

How wrong he was to think that their team leader would be a weakling and only in his way. Hearing she was a new recruit, he cursed her.

How wrong he had been.

How wrong he had been of her.

"Hikaru Watanabe," her merciless voice had switched to a caring tone as she called his name. His vision blurred by tears, he answered, "Yes?"

"Noboru will be destroyed. You must be patient. You must trust me." He rubbed the tears away from his eyes to see the truth shining from hers. He didn't want to be alone again. He would trust only her.

Kagome's expression softened as she watched Hikaru nod his head stiffly.

"Officer Watanabe? The General has requested to see you." A worker had walked in and announced. Kagome held up a hand, making Hikaru remain frozen where he stood. She said sternly, "I'll go."

Unable to speak against it for he was silenced by his leader, Hikaru bit his lips shut in frustration.

Knowing fully well that the General would not be pleased by bringing a person other than Officer Watanabe, the worker began to sweat. Kagome followed the nervous worker up to Sesshomaru's office.

"General?" The worker squeaked out, "Officer Higurashi has come instead."

Sesshomaru glared at the miko who stood in front of him instead of that crow. He said coldly, "I did not ask for you."

Kagome responded stiffly, "Yes, you asked for my underling of whom I am responsible for." She watched as his eyes narrow dangerously.

"He will follow procedure and take punishment."

"Hikaru is my responsibility and I have dealt with him." Kagome turned a blind eye to the anger she saw past his eyes. Did he not realize that she was not asking for Hikaru's actions to be excused?

"Noboru has already attained our information while absorbing the crow. His actions are not excusable."

Kagome said calmly, "I'm not asking for mercy. I will accept his punishment on his behalf as it is equally my fault for allowing this to happen during a mission I was in charge of."

He knew there was no way around her resolution. Her position gave her the rights to accept the punishment instead. It was all rightfully done.

But still, the tug in his chest grew almost painful.

Her footsteps fell back as a strong pulse of youkai ki suffocated her for only a brief second, then gone.

"Take her to the isolation room."

The worker jumped at the coldness of the General's order. "F-f-for how long, General?"

"48 hours."

He watched the miko leave his office and follow the worker. Immediately after she left, he wanted to take back those words.

Everyone must follow procedures.

It was his duty.

He hated how she made him place this on her.

##

 **Author's Note: Thank you for reading. I am so pleased and honoured to see that there are many faithful followers to this story. I have also noticed those who have followed me from before. It truly is a nice feeling.**

 **Your reviews are cherished and appreciated.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight- Isolation room**

The stench was unbearable. She tried to cover her nose with her hand, but nothing worked. The smell was so strong that it couldn't be avoided. The smell of decaying flesh.

Kagome followed the worker past several security doors. The lighting grew dimmer and dimmer past each room. The echoes of cries and pleas reached her ears, allowing her to recognize that she neared the isolation room. Passing the last security door, her eyes widened in horror. She saw endless rows of cells that held youkai in them. Some were pleading for mercy while some reacted in anger.

"What...is this place," She breathed out in shock.

"These are the youkai rebels that are caught. They are put in here until they either change their ways or kill themselves." The worker informed, "You will be cleaning up the cells that are... no longer occupied. You will be doing this for 48 hours straight with no rest as your punishment."

The stench of decaying flesh was so thick in the air. She knew what she was 'cleaning up'. Kagome changed into a jumpsuit and wore a mask that covered her mouth and nose. The mask only filtered the bacteria she would be amongst, not lessening the smell of flesh. She grabbed a cart filled with a shovel, mop and cleaning supplies. She looked at the screen in front of her that told her which cells to 'clean'.

'Cell 24,' she read as she slowly walked past rows and rows. She stopped in front of cell 24. The cell door opened for her. Darkness filled the space, only allowing her eyes to see a limp body on the ground. She slowly neared it. The closer she got the fouler the smell became. Standing before the dead body, she saw maggots crawling out of the body that was torn up by its own claws.

She had seen many dead bodies.

She never had to deal with the ones that were decayed.

Vomit spewed from her mouth as she quickly hovered over a garbage bin. Tears streamed down her face as her throat stung from the acids from her stomach. Wiping her mouth, she spat to get rid of the last taste in her mouth. She placed the mask back over her mouth and nose. Pulling out the shovel and body bag, she walked over to the body. She placed the body bag on the ground and then hesitated. The smell of rotten flesh intruded her nostrils. Leaning forward she tried to quickly roll the body into the bag. The movement caused hundreds of bugs and flies to wander around the tiny cell.

She almost puked again.

Zipping up the body bag, she dragged it towards the dump and left if there to be dealt with. The blood needed to be washed away. The stench would be forever stained in the cell walls. She swept away the maggots, bugs and eggs on the ground.

She would have to repeat the steps for 48 hours.

Her hands trembled.

She puked some more.

She repeated the steps.

She vomited until nothing was left to come out.

##

He stared at the kneeling crow with hardened eyes. His stoic expression slightly revealing his frustration.

"Speak." He didn't want the crow in his sight.

Hikaru lowered his head in a bow. A lump formed in his throat as he struggled to speak, "I heard my leader was placed in the isolation room as my punishment."

He remembered his days when he was a new recruit to Zero Division. They all started at the isolation room interrogating youkai rebels. Interrogations were held to see if they would truly leave behind the rebel. Though he never had to clean the isolation cells, the smell alone almost drove him crazy. He couldn't imagine what sort of sights his leader must be facing as she cleaned out the dead ones. Only the officers who committed a huge mistake were punished with cleaning out the isolation room. Mistakes were a rare case at Zero division, thus the worse the punishment was for the dead were left to decay for weeks or months. He voiced his plea desperately, "Please, allow me to take her place."

Sesshomaru clenched his teeth, seething. He felt heat rise from his chest at the sight of the crow. He didn't want to know who was responsible for the miko's punishment. He didn't want to see the one the miko protected.

A dangerous warning sounded from his voice as he ordered, "Get out."

Sesshomaru was already furious that he had to place the miko in the isolation room.

The crow who was responsible dared to show his face to him?

The crow must want a death wish.

"Please, you can force her to leave as I take her place. It was my fault. It was completely my fault. I disobeyed her orders and went to see Noboru." Hikaru continued to plead, thinking that the General might be persuaded. Instead, he saw the General's eyes bleed red. Hikaru shrunk back in slight fear.

"Know your place, crow. Your leader took the blame out of honour, so shut up and be grateful," Sesshomaru snarled. His patience with the crow was running thin.

Hikaru picked himself up and exited the General's office. The General's presence became too overwhelming that he suffocated from the lash of anger in the aura alone.

Sesshomaru's stoic expression remained tainted with a hint of anger. Was the miko simply protecting the crow because he was her underling? Was there more to their relationship? His frown deepened when he felt a tight stab in his chest.

What was his heart telling him now?

Standing up from his desk, he headed towards the isolation room.

All who saw their General heading towards the direction of the isolation room watched discreetly with wide eyes. The General never needed to go there. It was a job for the lowest rank.

Security doors opened for him as he neared his destination. His face remained stoic, though the stench was unbearable to even him.

His eyes landed on the miko. She stood over a garbage bin gagging, though nothing came out. "Miko, come."

She looked up over the garbage bin and saw Sesshomaru.

Her face pale white.

Cold sweat trailing down her face.

Tear streaks stained on her cheeks.

A visible tremor running through her entire body.

Sesshomaru clenched his hand. He watched the miko slowly walk towards him, weakened in her state. She said in a hushed voice, "Yes, General?"

"You're sick, Miko." His fist tightened.

"Oh," she breathed out in sort of a daze.

"You will let the crow finish the punishment," Sesshomaru demanded. He showed his displeasure when he saw her shake her head.

"I'll finish it." Kagome bowed and turned away. She continued the cleaning, even though her whole body screamed for it to stop.

A clawed hand grabbed her, making her stop in her tracks. She looked at him with her head tilted to the side. She could see the conflict in his eyes. But what conflict he fought, she did not know.

He wanted to drag the stubborn miko out of here.

"So stubborn," he said. Kagome smiled and continued her task when he loosened his grip on her wrist.

##

 **Author's Note: Who was surprised at what the isolation room was?  
**

 **Your reviews are cherished and appreciated.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine- The Past**

Death.

The scent would not be easily erased from her as it etched its way into every fiber of her body and mind.

Her brows furrowed into a frown. Slowly opening her eyes, she was blinded by natural light. Her eyes squinted and glazed over from the deep slumber she awoke from. Soon adjusting to the different environment, she realized she was in a Japanese style room.

"Sesshomaru…" she breathed out unconsciously. Dangerously sharp claws slid the wooden framed door to the other side of the wall. White silk wrapped around the Inuyoukai as he moved to tuck away his clawed hands into his sleeves. He glanced at her with a slight glare, enough to scare off anyone else but her. For a second she had forgotten she was not in the Feudal era.

"Thank you," she voiced weakly. Kagome knew that at the very least, Sesshomaru had taken her out of the isolation room at some point. Her last memories were of suddenly fading into black after cleaning her last cell. Catching the glare in his eyes soften, she knew she had been right.

"Noboru has made his move."

Kagome flinched to look at Sesshomaru. Her eyes widened. 'Already?'

"He has hacked our system. Searched for a certain artifact." His eyes remained connected with hers. The crow clan had protected the ancient well for centuries until one day they were completely wiped out. A powerful charm was placed upon the well to have sealed it and transported to another location that the Zero Division only knew about, but no one knew who had slaughtered the crow clan. The only witness left was a traumatized five year old boy, who remembered nothing of the events… or that was what he told the public. The crow knew who slaughtered his clan.

Noboru.

Why did Noboru want access to the ancient well?

"What was the artifact he was looking for?" She asked in confusion.

"The well."

A rush of panic coursed through her veins causing her to clumsily stand up and reach for the exit. A cry escaped her lips, "Mom!"

Sesshomaru stood in her way. His voice reached her panicked heart. "They are safe."

His words calmed her. She trusted him.

Exhaustion. Nausea. Her head ached at the sudden movement. Dizziness reaching her, she lightly grasped what was in front of her. Her hand clenched onto his silk haori and left a wrinkle on the fabric. Too weak to think, but knew her family was safe, her body gave way.

Her body fell into his. His hands tucked away in his sleeve moved to catch her. He returned the slumbering Miko back onto the futon to rest. His eyes lingered a moment longer on her resting face.

##

It took her a few days to recover. It wasn't easy for her to start eating since some foods would trigger her to remember the isolation room. No one judged her for they all knew what she saw. After a few days had passed, she begged Sesshomaru to let her go back to work.

Somehow able to convince him, there she stood in front of the long steps that led up to her house. It felt like it had been a while since she returned home. Strangely, the familiar warmth of her neighborhood felt different now. An eerie sensation crawled up her spine. In uniform, she walked up the stairs. Approaching the top, she noticed several Zero Division officers on watch. Her home was transformed into an investigation area. Tents mounted in her yard as officers gathered around tables to go through papers. All the lights in her house turned off as her family was moved to another location. Her eyes flickered towards the ancient well. Her footsteps inched towards the familiar doors that led to the well.

"…No signs of Noboru," distant voices echoed through the shrine. She could hear the faint response of Sesshomaru ordering his men to patrol, Shippo going through research materials for more clues, her team standing guard.

Everything slowly faded from her senses. Inch by inch she closed in. Her feet led her down the old steps and creaked beneath her weight. A chill spread through her body at the odd sensation. A place so familiar to her, yet something felt off. Having not returned to this well for many years, perhaps something had changed.

She knew the well no longer worked. How many scars did she form from falling through the well in hopes that it would one day open.

Her footsteps came to a halt as she stood in front of the ancient well.

"Kagome," Sesshomaru called out from afar. She turned around to look up at her General who stood at the doorway.

Something felt off but similar to the first day she fell into the well.

Suddenly, arms gushed out from beneath the well. The faint glow from the well came alive. Kagome felt herself falling into the light and the sight of Sesshomaru's widened eyes were the last thing she saw before everything grew dark.

Thud.

His feet hit the bottom of the well.

His eyes narrowed as a sneer ripped out from his lips.

Noboru escaped with the miko through the well.

But he knew this would happen.

He knew what the miko would experience on the other side.

##

Her body slowly absorbed into the purple like substance. The substance moved through the thick forest in high speed. Where was Noboru headed? Feeling her arm completely covered in purple goo, she knew she couldn't wait to find out where he was headed. Reiki burst forth and surrounded her body. Noboru's shriek lasted only moments before he disappeared through the trees and abandoned her in the clearing.

Fallen on all fours, Kagome stared at the ground.

Confused.

Grass felt beneath her fingertips.

Familiar.

Her eyes looked up to the clear unpolluted sky.

Clean.

Standing up, she flicked off the remaining purple substances that tried to leech onto her skin. Kagome took in a deep breath as she closed her eyes.

The Feudal Era.

She would tell just by scent.

Her eyes flickered open as she put up a barrier around her in a flicker of an eye. Someone was watching her. From the far corner of the clearing, she saw a shadow taking its time to step out into the open. Noticing silver hair and the crescent moon on his forehead, she immediately dropped her barrier.

"Sesshomaru," she said in relief. She caught his unfazed expression slightly hint of confusion.

The miko had returned only appearing a few years older when time had passed much more than that. His brows furrowed. He couldn't seem to figure her out. She knew too many mysteries unknown to him. The moment she saw him, her guard and barrier vanished as if he was one to be trusted. It was an unfamiliar feeling.

She needed to know what century she was in. Scanning Sesshomaru's outfit, not a lot has changed. Knowing she could trust Sesshomaru, in the past and present, she said, "I travelled from the future in chase of a half-demon called Noboru. He came here for some reason and I need to track him down. How many years has passed since Naraku's death?"

Whether he believed her or not, his expression showed nothing. "A Century," was all he said before heading into the forest. Kagome followed him closely behind. She was certain that he would show her where Noboru was heading towards. Sesshomaru wouldn't ignore a threat from the future. Without looking behind, a cloud form underneath Sesshomaru's feet and took to the sky. Kagome doubted for a second that he had just abandoned her before she felt the earth rumble. Glancing to her side, she noticed a two headed beast approaching her. A small smile tugged on her lips as she sat on the beast's back and watched it take to the sky.

Had Sesshomaru always been like this? Had he changed? The smile on her lips grew as she shook her head. No, she had changed. She understood him a little more. Before, she would have thought all his actions were rude and arrogant. Now, she knew what he meant.

"Higurashi." As reflexes upon hearing her name, she said, "Yes?"

How he knew her last name did not cross her mind. Hearing Sesshomaru call out to her by name was way better than "wench" or "half-breed's wench", which he referred to her as in the Feudal era.

"The half-breed is headed for the Gate." Crossing over tall trees and rivers, Kagome noticed they were headed towards tall mountains where the top was surrounded in mist. She had been here before with Inuyasha. She whispered to herself, "The Gate of the Afterlife."

She remembered so clearly. The adventures with Inuyasha.

What did Noboru want here?

Ah Un landed on the stone entrance of the cave. Pitch darkness lurked through the endless path of the cave. High pitched gust of winds echoed through the empty hole. Her footsteps resounded against the walls.

"You'll die, Higurashi." A stoic voice stopped her in her tracks. Turning back, she smiled at Sesshomaru who stared at her with a raised brow. A burst of reiki flowed out from her core and formed as another suit around her body, lightening the dark cave. "I'm not weak anymore, Sesshomaru."

Perhaps what she saw was a smile or a smirk or neither, but he followed her through the cave in silence. It took a few minutes before she recognized the eerie sensation. Kagome spotted the two tall statues that stood in front of the Gate, Gozu and Mezu. Awaken by the intruder, Mezu had a spear in hand pointed towards Gozu, who seemed still. Noticing the purple blob, that Noboru was, covering the face of Gozu, Kagome knew why Mezu couldn't attack.

"Noboru!" Reaching for her gun, she aimed two shots filled with reiki. The familiar sound of Noboru's shriek filled the cave. Noboru fell from Gozu's face and formed into a human shape. Kagome took aim and shot several times at Noboru. He hissed as he sped to confront her. Placing her gun away, he was close enough for combat. Purple arms extended to strangle her neck. She swooped beneath his reach and punched his ribs. Caught off guard, Noboru stumbled backwards from the force. Kagome took the chance and kicked his knees causing him to fall on them. Holding her hand charged with reiki deadly close to his neck, she asked, "Why did you come here?"

Noboru coughed and then slowly formed into a chuckle. "Destruction. Mass destruction. Why tell you more though?"

Kagome brought the reiki closer to his face causing his purple skin to sizzle. She needed answers.

"I'm just a puppet, fool." Noboru said as his chuckle became a laughter. Clicking her tongue in annoyance, she purified the human shape in front of her which dissolved into dust. A clink of wood landed on the stone ground. A wooden doll. Noboru's puppet.

Her feet collided with the wooden doll which broke into pieces under the pressure. "Damn."

There had to be a reason why Noboru came to the past. What was the reason for sending a puppet? Kagome glanced at the attacked stone soldier and asked, "Are you okay, Gozu?"

The dazed soldier nodded his head slowly. Kagome asked Mezu, "What was Noboru trying to do with Gozu?"

Mezu looked down at the human who helped his brother. "Probably trying to get past one of us."

Remembering the time Noboru absorbed the knowledge of Hikaru, she asked Mezu, "How much information do you know of the Gate of the Afterlife."

Mezu said, "We know all things."

Blood drained from her face. She needed to report this back to the General. Turning on her feet, she marched back out the cave. Mezu told her one last thing.

"There is only one demon that releases mass destruction to this world and he is behind these Gates. We will not say any further. We cannot."

Riding Ah Un high above the clouds, a frown formed on her face. Whatever Gozu and Mezu knew about this 'demon' they will not tell of, but Noboru probably already got all the information. Too busy processing the information in her head, she did not notice golden eyes looking her way.

The threat no longer on his lands, he did not need to escort her back to the well. Yet… he silently did so. Why? Having seen her fight the half-breed, she had indeed grown stronger. Perhaps it was respect. Perhaps she had earned his respect when no one else has.

The sun had gone down. Flickers of fireflies danced past thick layers of trees that surrounded the clearing. The well stood before her once again. A few years ago, she would have done anything to remain in the Feudal era. Now, she knew she was meant to be in her time. She wanted to return back to her time.

What had changed?

Grass rustled softly against his black boots, which caused Kagome to stare at Sesshomaru.

A smile appeared on her lips. "I won't be back."

Her eyes looked into his.

Stoic eyes remained empty as he stood in the clearing alone. No one by his side.

Would he be alone again? She wondered for how long. He had always been a lone wolf, even in her time. Her heart lurched for a moment. The sensation of solitude crawled down her throat and tightened. Slowly extending her hand, she grasped the edge of his silk haori. He remained still as she smiled warmly towards him. "I won't be back because you made me want to stay in the future. I'll be by your side in the future. I'll make sure you're not alone there."

Whispering her silent promise, she let go and disappeared through the well taking her back home.

Home.

##

 **Author's Note: Sorry for the delayed delayed update. I hope you enjoyed! I also want to wish my favourite writing partner Peach-chan a HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY! I did not forget...just life has been crazy.  
**

 **Your reviews are cherished and appreciated.**


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter Ten- Movement**

A soft glow of blue light embraced her and slowly diminished. Her feet landed on the bottom of the well. Years of experience climbing up the well, she took her time for it would be the last. Reaching closer to the top, she heard low murmurs. Her head peaked up from the well and saw a crowd of people staring at her. Her eyes searched for his and noticed he was staring directly at her.

Sesshomaru gave a slight nod.

Recognition.

Only he understood.

Jumping out of the well, she passed by her teammates and officers. She knew there were many questions lingering on the tip of their tongues, but she didn't wish to address them now. Her hands reached out for the Inuyoukai who she made a promise with centuries ago. Her hand grasped the tip of his haori.

"Leave," he instructed the officers standing by the ancient well. Immediately, all witnesses disappeared from the well house leaving the two alone.

"You saw what Noboru did when we were in the past. Have you figured out who the demon of mass destruction is?" Kagome asked.

"An ancient folk tale tells of a kami that feared the creation of youkais. He knew that one day the youkais would be powerful enough to replace the heavens. Through his fears, he created a demon of mass destruction that would be released if the youkais ever tried to take over the kamis."

Her grip on his haori tightened. "So, Noboru isn't trying to rule the world. He is trying to destroy it."

Her breath felt short.

Her lungs suddenly felt a lack of oxygen.

"Miko," his calm voice eased the anxiety and fear that streamed through her veins. Taking a deep breath, she tried to calm her heart. What Noboru was trying to do..scared her. A person planning to take over the world needed calculation and logical strategies. A person who just wanted destruction was irrational and unpredictable. Her head throbbed to the pace of her pounding heart. Closing her eyes, she leaned her forehead against his chest. Not realizing what she was doing, she breathed in his scent.

Rain.

Forest.

Wild plants.

He remained still and waited for her to recover.

Kagome moved away from his body heat as her eyes opened once more in a daze. She had calmed and did not fully realize the actions she committed.

His eyes trailed downwards and stared at the slight furrow on her brows. "You have questions," he stated knowingly.

She voiced her random thoughts, "How come you called me Higurashi in the past and now you call me Miko?"

Releasing a silent sigh, he said, "What does it mean to address someone as their status?"

Kagome's brows scrunched further until her eyes widened in realization.

He respected her.

A tingling sensation started from her chest and spread through. She had a new team that gave her a sense of home once more. She had someone that would fight by her side. A warm smile touched her lips as whispered gently, "I'll always stay by your side." She repeated her promise that was made to Sesshomaru centuries ago. She swore her loyalty and respect.

Perhaps she didn't know what her words had done to him that day she left through the well. Rin had taught him what loneliness felt like. She taught him what waiting for someone felt like. A softness broke through his stoic exterior for a moment.

A brief moment.

Her grasp on his haori loosened and slowly let go. As her hand fell away, her fingertips grazed his chest gently. The warmth of her hand gone.

"We should get back to the division and update the others," she said. Walking by his side, they exited the ancient well. Kagome was immediately surrounded by Shippo and her team. Hikaru stepped in front of her and twirled her around as he examined her body for any injuries. A soft laughter escaped her lips as she assured her friends, "I'm fine."

A sigh of relief came from him. Hikaru's hand remained tightly linked to Kagome's. Feeling the slight tremble from his touch, Kagome patted his hand reassuring him that Noboru did not harm her the least.

Golden eyes darkened as he stared at the hand still linked with the Miko's. Sensing the General's irritation, Shippo patted Kagome's shoulder and lead her down the shrine steps.

Although the crow no longer had physical contact with the Miko, he chased to stay close to her.

He gritted his jaws.

##

A heavy aura loomed over the Zero Division. The meeting room was dark with a single light from the projector lighting the room. High ranking Team Leaders sat in rows facing the projected screen. Sesshomaru sat in front as Kagome stood in front of the room. A slide of a captured picture of Noboru appeared on the screen.

"Subject name, Noboru, leader of the Youkai Rebellion. He can take the form of what looks like purple substance. He has a human form at times. His weakest state is during the eclipse when he is regenerating. He absorbs youkai and humans. Once absorbed, he can retain any of your memories or information. He has the power to create puppets of himself made out of wooden dolls." Kagome clicked to the next slide.

Staring at the picture of Gozu and Mezu in front of the Gate of the Afterlife, she sucked in her breath. "His target is behind this gate. He tried to release the demon of mass destruction that myths have stated can destroy the world."

Hushed voices spread throughout the crowd. Kagome took a moment to observe the audience. Officers looked at each other in doubt for the demon of mass destruction had always been a story they were told of when young to scare children into behaving. Kagome explained, "Noboru went through the ancient well and absorbed information from Gozu. After chasing him down, I found that he was only a puppet."

"What information could Noboru have retrieved from Gozu?" Kagome heard a female youkai ask.

'Good question,' she thought. Sesshomaru had shown her all the research about the demon of mass destruction he had collected over the centuries after the incident. There was still not a lot of information. There had been one story that stood out to her amongst the research. She repeated out loud the story she memorized.

"Though the Gate may open, the destruction can only be summoned. To be summoned by human, youkai or kami, the destruction will remain in slumber. Once summoned by a threat, the destruction will not cease until it achieves it's goal."

"Perhaps Noboru is the one who can summon the demon of mass destruction, since he doesn't seem youkai, human or kami," an eagle youkai said bluntly. Kagome informed, "We cannot make that assumption yet."

Another officer blurted out brashly, "The Gate of the Afterlife is being heavily guarded by the Zero Division. There is no way Noboru can get past the security."

The hushed voices grew louder. There were many that agreed. Their nose raised high, they didn't think Noboru had a chance. Kagome stepped forward and reminded them sternly, "Noboru has passed through our guard several times. The attack against Masaru that took place within these very walls and past the ancient well. Don't be clouded by your own pride. There are many cracks within any security."

"Are you suggesting we cower in fear until he attempts to open the gate again?" The same brash officer snorted. A dangerous glint flickered in her eyes causing the officer to lower his gaze. A smirk tugged on her lips as she said excitedly, "No, we make sure we are one step ahead of him. His plans are rash and unpredictable, but we know his motive. We have all the pieces in the playing field in our hands. We just need to play them right."

The darkened room hid Sesshomaru's reaction.

A ghost of a smirk lingered on his lips.

She was correct.

They were at an advantage for now.

"What should we do then?" a voice asked from the crowd.

Kagome clicked to show the next slide. Kagome shared the strategy that Sesshomaru had gone over and approved of. Teams were divided into guarding the Gate, patrolling the area, providing updates of the Youkai Rebel, emergency back up and so on.

He noted how easily her words influenced the other officers into following her.

She was indeed a leader.

He had picked his ally, his equal, well.

##

 **Author's Note: It feels good to be writing again. Thank you for even taking the time to read my works.**

 **Your reviews are cherished and appreciated.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter Eleven - Memories**

The night darkened the corridors of the house. The full moon glimmered and casted a shadow on the walls as she silently wandered. Soft creaks of the wooden floors welcomed her steps. Her fingertips lifted and grazed the paper doors in a trail. The warm breeze embraced her and brushed past her loosely tied yukata.

Half dazed and half awake, she walked through like a ghost.

She couldn't sleep.

Too many thoughts rushed through her mind, but she was too tired to think.

She wandered around the house instead, appearing as if she was sleep walking.

She ventured unknowingly into new corridors she had never been in.

Her eyes blurred with exhaustion, screaming to close.

A flicker of light caught her attention. Her exhaustion overtaken by curiosity. She walked closer and closer towards the gleaming light. Standing before what had caught her eye, she let out a silent gasp.

"Tenseiga." The moon's beam reflected against the sword that could not cut. Her throat suddenly tightened as soon as she felt the pulse of a familiar feeling. Another sword displayed above. Her eyes slowly inched upwards and landed upon Tenseiga's brother.

"Tessaiga," her voice rang with pain and memories. She held in tears that began to form in her eyes. She cautiously reached out to trace the sword she had dreamed of repeatedly after the well had closed. Was she in another dream again?

A stream of tears escaped from her eyes. She knew Inuyasha would not have been able to reach her time with his life span. The ache in her chest grew and grew. She missed him.

Sensing another presence, she weakly turned her head to gaze at Sesshomaru. Tears continued to fall, but she didn't care. The ache of missing someone unreachable, he must know. Her footsteps unconsciously neared him. Needing to ease the pain constricting her heart, she wrapped her arms around his waist and sunk into his chest. Snuggling against the warmth he provided, she finally closed her eyes. Her tears slowly lessened. The stab of pain steadily eased.

Was she comforting him or herself? She didn't know.

Feeling him pull away, she tightened her grip refusing to let him go. Completely exhausted, she didn't know for how long she would be able to hold on to him. Soon falling into the temptation of sleep, she felt darkness surround her. She felt herself lifted into the air and rocked side to side down the dark corridors. The last sensation was of a finger brushing her hair away from her face.

##

Thick lashes slowly fluttered open. The soft ray of light warmed her. She woke up in her room, almost doubting that everything had just been a dream. A blush brightened her face as memories of last night flashed through her head. She had never really cried in front of people. To think of all people, she cried in front of Sesshomaru. The tinge of her cheeks faded as a smile formed on her lips. Her eyes warmed. How strange. Of all people, she felt like Sesshomaru was the only person she could cry in front of.

Slowly getting ready, she reached for her uniform. Kagome knew she would be out on a mission today. Word had reached the Zero Division that Youkai rebels were spotted near the Gate of the Afterlife. Reloading her gun, she hoisted in onto her belt and made her way to the house entrance where Sesshomaru always stood to wait for her.

A bright smile appeared on her face as she approached him. She said cheerfully, "Good morning."

As always he would tilt his head in acknowledgement and step into the car. Kagome followed suit and sat beside him as the driver drove off. Sesshomaru passed her a few documents of the Youkai rebels that have been seen near the Gate. Kagome scanned through them.

"You are simply observing their move. Do not engage." He said strictly, knowing the Miko's tendency to do what she wanted.

Kagome pouted, but she knew he was right. They needed to see what Noboru sent them to do. She said defeatedly, "Okay, okay."

Arriving at Zero Division, it no longer fazed anyone to see the two walk in together. Kagome noticed her team already prepared for departure. She glanced at Sesshomaru and said, "See you back at home tonight."

A hesitance.

He watched her walk away with her team. It was a simple mission. He had no reason to send another team instead.

Nonsense.

##

Tall trees stretched high as if reaching for the sky. Rays of sunlight leaked through the thick leaves. Ancient roots weaved through the uneven grounds as grass lusciously covered the area. Each direction looked identical causing amateurs to lose their way if they didn't know what to look for. This forest that led to the Gate was forbidden to youkais and lost to humans.

Kagome placed the wireless communicator into her ear. "Testing, testing," she heard Itsuki repeat. Giving him a thumbs up, she confirmed the device worked. Kagome watched as Itsuki and Kannako headed east while Hikaru followed her west. "We will regroup here at sunset," she ordered before they headed for their targets.

Her feet fell light to the grass covered grounds. Keeping up with Hikaru's speed, they sprinted through the forest. Thirty minutes had passed when Hikaru signalled for her to slow down. They had approached a heavily wooded clearing. He placed a finger on his lips and pointed south-west. Prepared, she grabbed Hikaru's hand as he flew up into a tree. Hidden above, Kagome peered down to see three Youkai rebels camped below. Her eyes focused on the three figures. She leaned forward to hear what they were saying.

Low murmurs shared, "Why did Noboru send us out here? Did he give you orders?"

"No, I thought he gave you the orders."

"He didn't tell anyone anything?"

"What is going on?"

"He only said to wait here till midnight. I guess we will head back to the base past sunset."

Kagome frowned. 'What is Noboru thinking?'

Time slowly passed by as the sun inched towards the west. The moon made its appearance as the sky soon painted black. Kagome watched in frustration as the Youkai rebels did nothing the entire time.

Just waiting.

Hours had passed the sunset point. "Leader, we have returned to the meeting point." She heard Itsuki through the communicator.

Kagome whispered, "Report."

Kannako informed, "The two youkai rebels just sat in the clearing doing nothing. They started to head back to their base a few minutes ago."

'Weird,' she noted to herself. Something was really weird. Noticing movement below, she saw the three Youkai rebels packing up to leave. She wondered if they should follow them. Kagome turned to glance at Hikaru.

Pain.

Searing pain tore through what felt like every inch of her body.

Five gun shots fired.

Blue eyes locked with the gun Hikaru pointed at her.

Her body slowly fell to the pull of gravity.

"What was that!?" She heard Itsuki say in a panic through the communicator.

Before she could even feel the ground break every bone, her world turned pitch black.

##

She said she would return tonight. He stood in front of his private room. A frown tainted his stoic expression. She should have returned a while ago. He glared at the two swords decorated on the wall in front of him, the place she had been standing last night.

Her pale white skin glowed in the moon light as her loosely tied yukata revealed more skin. Her ebony hair sculpted around her heart shaped face and slender neck. Her sorrowful eyes stared into his as tears stained her cheeks. She appeared before him so vulnerable.

He closed his eyes not wishing to see the vision before him.

He couldn't deny it.

She looked beautiful in that moment.

Pulse.

His eyes snapped open.

Pulse.

The sword came alive.

Pulse.

Clawed hands grabbed the handle of Tenseiga.

Pulse.

The familiar feeling of dread filled his chest.

Pulse.

The only time he had felt the pulse of Tenseiga this strong was with Rin.

Thinking of only one person, he headed straight for the Gate of the Afterlife. The place where she was.

Minutes.

It only took a few minutes to reach his destination. Already, a team of officers stood in a panic. Their General approaching, Shippo stepped in front. Itsuki, Kannako and Hikaru stood without their leader.

"Where is she?" He demanded.

Shippo said as calmly as possible, "Hikaru was with Kagome and said the Youkai rebels knocked him unconscious. When he woke up, he couldn't find her. They were last located south-west of the forest."

Kannako voiced with fear, "We heard gun shots. A lot of gun shots."

"Why can't we search for her now!? Our leader might be hurt!" Hikaru screamed frantically.

Even though Shippo wanted to look for her right then, he struggled to keep in control. Shippo pushed the crow back and said sternly, "No one goes into the forest. We don't know where the gun shots came from. It could be an attack. We have to follow protocol and make sure it is safe for everyone before we start a search party."

Sesshomaru ignored the kitsune. He didn't bother to wait for the other officers to warrant a search party and disappeared into the forest.

"How did the General know?" Itsuki asked his Father in shock. The Zero Division was alerted a few seconds ago and his Father's team had been patrolling the forest.

Shippo closed his eyes after remembering the Tenseiga Sesshomaru was wielding.

He didn't want to know.

##

 **Author's Note: That was fun.**

 **Thank you for reading.**

 **Your reviews are cherished and appreciated.**


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter Twelve - Confusion**

The pulse pounding against his chest silenced the Tenseiga. His surrounding blurred by the speed he kept. Heading south-west, he captured the faint scent of blood.

Golden eyes glowed blood red.

A trail of venom scattered the grounds.

Someone will die by his hands.

As the scent of blood grew stronger, a wave of dread slammed against him.

The stabbing pain strangled his chest.

His footsteps faltered as blood drenched the green grass. The clearing was surrounded by trees. The dark sky hovered above. His breath hitched, unable to intake another. His throat constricted him from so.

There she was.

She lay broken on the ground. Five bullets pierced through her body as streams of blood exited onto the ground. Not a single breath left her lips. Her heartbeat remained still, unmoving.

Death tainted it's territory over the entire clearing.

He grew deaf to the thundering sound of his heartbeat. Paralysed, his eyes couldn't look away from the pained expression on her face. He knew what to do, yet he couldn't move. Though he had seen death a million times, her's brought him to his knees.

Why?

Slowly, the grip around his throat loosened a bit to allow him to breathe. Released from the grasp of shock, he lifted the Tenseiga and waited to cut away the demons of the underworld.

Silence.

The Tenseiga pulsed no longer. A wave of sensations he had never experienced drowned him.

Fear.

He tightened his grip on the Tenseiga, willing it to work. The scent of death emitting from the Miko drove him mad. Something tore at his heart.

She couldn't leave him. Not her.

Pulse.

Tenseiga heard his plea.

Without hesitation, Sesshomaru cut the demons of the underworld from her body. The scent of death washed away. Her eyes remained closed and unconscious. A faint thump of her heartbeat reached his ears, the only source that kept him sane. He reached down and carefully gathered her in his arms. Her blood smeared his white haori, but he did not care. Feeling her quiver from the cold breeze of the night, he pressed her closer into his body heat.

Shippo, along with other officers arrived at the scene and froze. The sight before them silenced them. Their General slouched as he so cautiously held the Miko as if she was as fragile as glass. His stoic mask had broken away to reveal pain. His eyes glazed over as if he had seen something so traumatic.

Shippo winced in pain before he had to look away from the image before him. He didn't think he would be sane if he had to witness what Sesshomaru had to. Witnessing the death of your most beloved was enough to drive anyone insane. He had already experienced it once. He didn't think he could handle it again. Just as he was about to get the officers and Kagome's team back to the base, he heard her slowly wake up.

She couldn't fully open her eyes, too weakened. Summoning the rest of her strength, she placed a weak barrier around Hikaru before letting go of all consciousness.

A dangerous snarl ripped out from his lips as he ordered the officers, "Lock him up."

Fear instilled within the officers as they obeyed their General's orders. Blood red eyes followed their every move as they arrested the confused crow youkai.

Itsuki and Kannako stood in shock. Staring at Hikaru in disbelief as he was chained and dragged away. Shippo muttered to himself, "What the hell is going on?"

##

The sound of birds chirping in the background woke her up. Adjusting to the brightness of the room, she soon realized she was in another room. Her gaze immediately landed on her chest where she felt the bullets hit. Confusion expressed on her face as she saw no scarring, bandages or a bullet wound.

'I must be dead,' she concluded. Needing answers, she got out of bed in search for another being who might have answers. Every movement felt heavy and sore. She struggled with each step as she neared the large double doors. She creaked open the doors to reveal the wall that displayed Tessaiga. Her head tilted to the side in confusion once more. This was Sesshomaru's house.

She was alive?

Or was the afterlife accommodating to her life on Earth?

Starring at the Tessaiga, she noticed the Tenseiga was gone from the wall.

Realization flickered past her eyes.

Sesshomaru's figure blocked her view of Tenseiga.

"You shouldn't be up."

Kagome noted the Tenseiga fastened on his sash, just like in the past. So she was alive. About to thank Sesshomaru for saving her, the words from her lips fell silent. A storm raged behind the stoic expression he stared at her with. Only she noticed that he looked dishevelled for the first time.

Without a word, he picked her up and walked back towards the bed she awoke from. He placed her down on the bed and turned to leave. She grasped onto his haori and whispered, "You should rest."

He hasn't rested the entire week she had been unconscious. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw death. Feeling her tug at his haori, he saw her pat the space beside her.

He closed the space between them.

Only she saw the weariness in his eyes.

He wouldn't be able to rest.

She guessed what he might have seen.

He couldn't close his eyes.

Her hand slowly extended towards him.

He carefully breathed in her scent, still fearing the scent of death.

Her fingers entangled in his silver hair as she brushed the side of his temple.

His eyes slowly closed.

She continued her soft touch.

Slumber soon embraced the Inuyoukai and Miko.

##

Flashes of nature passed by the window as she looked out from the car seat. She glanced at Sesshomaru who sat beside her. His expression steeled with a hint of displeasure. He did not agree with her will to return to work. She knew he was already in a bad mood, but she had to say it. "I want to see Hikaru."

The mention of the crow caused the aura to grow cold. His voice held a deadly warning, "No."

Kagome bit her lips. She didn't know what to do.

Arriving at the Zero Division, the atmosphere grew tense as their General and Miko entered.

"Sesshomaru, please. I just need to see him once and I won't ask anymore. He is my team member."

The word team member caused a flicker of red to flash past his eyes. A chill shot down the spine of each officer at the scene.

"Once," he glared at the persistent Miko. "Then you have no say on what I do to him." The promise of death hung clear for the Miko to understand.

Protest clearly portrayed on her expression, but he ignored it and walked away.

Kagome frowned as she followed another officer to where they kept Hikaru. Her eyes couldn't deny it wasn't Hikaru. She clearly remembered Hikaru pulling the trigger five times. She couldn't forget the pain. She knew she should feel betrayed. She shouldn't pity him.

But…

Kagome walked into a dim lit room. Hikaru was kept chained to the chair and wall. Dark bags under his eyes told her he wasn't given the time to rest. Interrogation after another, he remained imprisoned for a crime he could not remember. No matter how many lie detectors he was forced to do, they all proved clearance. He had no memory of the crime.

"Leader," the sorrow in his voice rung clear. Amidst the exhaustion and confusion on his face, the moment he saw his leader the look of relief appeared. "You're alive. Everyone's telling me that I killed you…but why? Why don't I remember?" His words croaked and withered his throat with agony. "I don't understand…"

She felt his truth. She truly did. But it didn't make sense then.

Hikaru stated that he was knocked unconscious by the Youkai rebels before Kagome was shot. She knew his answer was false because she had witnessed him shooting her. However, the lie detector caught Hikaru's statement as truthful.

"I'll figure this out," she whispered for only him to hear. "Hold on for a little while longer."

A small smile appeared on his face. He knew his Leader would try, but there was no way she could get past the General's determination. Only death awaited him.

The metal doors to the interrogation room swung wide. The General grabbed the Miko's wrist in an iron grip and dragged her away.

He had heard everything. She planned to prove the crow's innocence.

Rage.

"Sesshomaru, you know there is something weird about this situation," she said trying to reason with him. "Hikaru truly doesn't remember shooting me. He believes the Youkai Rebel's knocked him unconscious."

Glaring down at her, his tall features casted a shadow on her. Though his eyes no longer hid his anger, the Miko did not back down from his stare. A low growl sounded causing officers nearby to slowly inch away from the situation. "Will you overlook his actions because of it? Even if the crow did so unknowingly, how can you prove that he won't do it again? He killed you. You died."

Remembering her death once more caused sharp stabs of pain to return. Then he had to witness the Miko reunited with the one who caused it. They almost looked like lovers reunited. Her head tilted close to the crows face as the crow looked at her longingly.

Staring at the silenced Miko, he walked away ending the conversation.

He wanted the crow gone.

##

 **Author's Note: I've noticed some readers remember me from other stories in the past. I love it. Thank you.**

 **Your reviews are cherished and appreciated.**


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13 – Forever**

He was up again.

Drowsy eyes noted the lights shining from underneath the door that connected to his room. It had been weeks since she was told to move to the room beside his. She didn't know when it started but she woke up in the middle of the night and would see the lights in his room still on.

He hasn't been sleeping.

She knew that youkai did not need a full 8 hours of sleep to function. But she did know that they needed at least a few hours of rest. She heard the faintest sound of pages flipping.

What was he doing?

Her eyes closed as she let out a deep breath. She rarely spoke to him now. He was secluded in either his room of his office. Any interaction she had with him was brief and curt. Her lips tilted downwards as an empty gap widened in her chest.

He was keeping distance.

She knew that, but she didn't know why. It hurt.

She didn't know what else to do. She had ignored the situation and busied herself with finding clues for Hikaru. Feeling the weight on her eyes gone, she knew that sleep would not come back to her anytime soon. Slipping from underneath her covers, her barefoot slid onto the cold floor. A chill passed through her body as she felt the night breeze through the open windows. She kept silent, not wanting to disturb Sesshomaru, and sat down in front of a large wooden table. She turned on a small lamp on top of her desk, which reflected onto the scattered papers spread across. She had yet to find any leads that explained Hikaru's situation. She researched and studied everything she could think of, but what was the point when she didn't know what she was looking for.

Kagome scanned through the research of schizophrenia, split personalities, PTSD and ancient myths of curses. None lead to prove Hikaru's innocence. Kagome flipped through the documents on Noboru. Resting her cheeks against her palm, she read through the incident reports related to him. She had gone through the papers so many times she had probably memorized everything by now.

Noboru had to be related to her incident. Hikaru had no motive to kill her. Noboru did. She was the only miko in the modern times that knew how to control reiki. Her reiki seemed to be able to purify his miasma and ability to absorb.

If she concluded that Noboru made Hikaru kill her, how did he do it?

Her eyes landed on the picture of Noboru, slightly hidden under a stack of books. She pulled out the picture and noticed a sticky note peeking from behind the picture. She turned the picture around to read what was written on the back. In her handwriting, she had scribbled down a few questions that were unanswered when she first faced Noboru.

What is Noboru?

Where did he come from?

Is he even youkai?

What are his powers?

Why does he seem so similar to Naraku?

An idea flickered in her head.

What if Noboru had the same ability to control minds like Naraku?

Clenching her eyes shut, she sifted through her memories of Kohaku. The only way Naraku controlled Kohaku was through the shard of the Shikon no Tama on his back. Noboru did not have that kind of leverage. Hikaru did not have any visible item attached to his body that appeared out of the ordinary.

Dropping the papers from her hands, she turned off the lamp. Her room went dark once more. She couldn't think anymore. Glancing at the door that separated her from him, she noted that the lights were still on.

##

She no longer greeted him with a smile and 'Good morning' when she saw him at the entrance.

He no longer looked her way.

Their car ride was no longer in a comfortable silence.

Upon entry to Zero Division, he walked straight to his office as she went to her's.

Kagome sat at her office desk and massaged her temples. The distance between her and Sesshomaru caused a headache each morning.

She was never one to prolong a fight or argument with someone important to her. However, when she had brought up the case that Hikaru might be innocent and asked for an extension for his execution, he was forced to agree due to the sheer majority of officers agreeing with her case. Kagome had tried to explain again and again to him the logistics of her actions, but he never responded. Instead, he grew distant and cold.

He never gave her a chance to explain. She was never given the chance to understand him.

Adding more pressure to massage her temples, the frown on her face remained. Though she heard the door to her office open, she focused on trying to rid of her headache.

"Rough day already?" She heard Shippo say with a hint of sarcasm. Dropping her hands from her temple, she gave up on ridding the headache for it did not cease. She let out a deep sigh and said, "Yeah."

"Let's go for a walk," he said as more of a statement than a question. Without hesitation, Kagome accepted her friend's request and followed him out of the division.

A park happened to be situated nearby the office. For the first time in a while, Kagome enjoyed the scenery surrounding her. She strolled down the park along side Shippo. She watched as humans and youkai, disguised as humans, mingled within the park. The youkai who noticed the Zero Division badge that they wore, lowered their heads in respect towards them.

Noticing her friend sit on a bench, Kagome followed and sat beside him.

"People at work are saying that you are waging war against the General." Shippo said out loud.

"Is that what people are saying around in the office?" Kagome scoffed.

"Isn't that what you are doing?" Shippo challenged. Pausing, she said in frustration, "He's the one that refused to hear me. I've tried already. If he wants to treat me like a stranger, then it's his fault if I do the same." Releasing another sigh, she voiced weakly, "You understand me, don't you? You understand why I'm trying to save Hikaru."

Shippo nodded slowly. He knew Kagome. She would have done the same for Inuyasha, Miroku, Sango and him. She would risk her life for anyone she considered her team. Hikaru was apart of her team now. However, he also understood their General. Looking past the trees in the distance, he told his story. "I saved a girl from drowning in a river. We quickly realized that she lived in my neighbourhood, so there were many times when I bumped into her. We became close friends. She reminded me of you, Kagome."

She watched the softness in his eyes reveal a tender look.

He continued on, memorizing the past events by heart, "It was so easy to fall in love with her, but she was a human that didn't know the existence of youkai. I finally revealed to her my race…and she accepted me fully as I was. I asked her to marry me without hesitation. We were so happy."

The words began to choke out from his lips, "Birthing a youkai was too dangerous the first time around. Her health had already been depleted after she had Itsuki. We knew of this, but if she was bound to leave me one day, she said she wanted to leave me with more of her presence. Masaru was born, but I was there holding her hands as her pulse came to a halt. I watched my wife breathe her last breath."

Tear drops splattered the wooden bench. Kagome held onto his hand as he tightened his grip around her's. With tears filling her eyes, she saw as blurred glimpse of agony on his expression.

"That's what Sesshomaru had to go through," Shippo said looking at Kagome. Shock written across her face, she stuttered, "But, But it's Sesshomaru."

Sure, maybe the first time she awoke from the incident she saw how it affected Sesshomaru. But, he was used to seeing death. She thought he would be fine by now.

"Sesshomaru had to see you dead, Kagome. That's enough to break anyone's heart," Shippo pleaded to his friend.

Her eyes lowered to the ground in shame. She misunderstood him.

##

Kagome sat on her bed, glancing at the door that connected their rooms. She hadn't seen him at work all day. Now, she waited for him hoping to talk to him. Shippo was right. She shouldn't be ignoring Sesshomaru right now.

Leaning her weight to one side, she fell onto the bed. 'When will he be back?' She whispered to herself, "Come back soon, Sesshomaru."

Closing her eyes, she tried to think of what to say to him.

The silence calmed her.

The paper windows softly rustled in the wind.

The warm rays of sunlight soothed her.

She slowly drifted away into a deep slumber.

Deeper.

Her surrounding faded into white. From afar, she saw a forest. Her body drifted towards the clearing. Her feet touched the ground as she looked around.

"Kagome, hurry up. You're slowing us down." Her head whipped towards the familiar sound of his voice. A bright smile appeared on her face as she breathed out, "Inuyasha!"

He grumbled before heading deeper into the forest. Kagome felt a tap on her shoulder causing her to look to the right.

"He's been grumpy since this morning, neh? Let's go for a long hot bath tonight." She felt her eyes water as she looked at her dear friend, Sango. With a giggle, she responded, "Sounds good."

It didn't take long before she heard a shriek and then a slap. Kagome smirked as she shook her head side to side. Miroku fell in step with her, unable to hide the red hand print marked on his cheeks. Shippo sat on top of Kirara shaking his head side to side at the sight of Miroku's cheeks. Her footsteps paused. She watched her friends continue on their way. Her heart warmed as she walked in the footprints of her friends. Her eyes caught a glimpse of white beyond the trees. Hesitating for a bit, she left the path her friends followed and walked towards the lone figure. Approaching closer to the forest clearing, she recognized who she had found and called out, "Sesshomaru."

His back facing her's, she reached out her hand and placed it on his shoulder.

A bit slouched.

Kagome watched in slow motion as he turned to face her.

Pain.

His eyes couldn't shield the fear. His expression contorted with agony. His white haori soon covered with blood.

Frantic, she tried to figure out who had harmed him.

Trembling hands drenched in blood reached out towards her.

Suddenly, she felt bullets tear through her body.

Ah, she realized. It was her blood he was drenched in.

He appeared so vulnerable before her, it made her want to cry.

The ground opened up and swallowed her into the darkness. She felt herself falling. The last thing she saw before complete darkness were his fearful eyes. Etched into her mind, she could never forget.

Unable to breathe any longer, she gasped for help.

She couldn't leave him again.

No.

He would close up completely to the world then. Just as he was doing now.

No.

Clenching her eyes shut, she struggled to breathe.

"NOO!" A scream left her lips as she woke up. The door immediately opened. Kagome gasped for breath as sweat trailed down her face. Tears dripped down her cheeks. She saw through her watery eyes, him. Unable to forget the look in his eyes, she sobbed, "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry...I'm sorry...sorry."

He neared her. She fell into his chest. Her arms wrapped tightly around him, holding on. She continued to chant, "I'm sorry..."

A hand ran through her hair, calming her.

Already midnight, the moonlight seeped into the room. Tears clung to her lashes as they reflected in the darkened room. The sound of her soft sobs filled the silent space.

She promised, "I won't leave you. I'll be by your side."

His hand paused midway in her hair.

She had caused him pain. A pain so deep she didn't know how she could take it back.

She raised her gaze to look at him.

Clawed hands inched near her neck.

Her eyes widened.

His hand pulled her closer as his lips devoured her's.

Gasp.

Tasting her, he craved for more and deepened the kiss.

Shocked to the core, she pushed against his chest breaking their connection. Her hand trembled as she touched her swollen lips. Confused, she stared at him asking silently what was going on.

Golden eyes darkened. His voice rang deep with determination. "You're sorry, so stay by my side, forever."

##

 **Author's Note: Let me know what you thought?**

 **Your reviews are cherished and appreciated.**


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14 – Path**

The image of her lifeless body haunted him.

If he lowered his guard for even a second, the image burned into his mind. His entire body on high alert, he listened to the soft thump of her heartbeat from across the connecting doors.

Dawn.

He sorted through paper work and signed off on necessary documents. He might as well work if he wasn't able to sleep.

Strain.

Inuyoukai did not require sleep, but he wondered how long he would be able to keep it up. His mind was constantly restless. Attacked by memories of her death seeped through followed by a wave of emotions he had encountered that day. His stoic expression could no longer hold as it did so easily before.

Sunlight hit the rim of the mountain line. Clouds parted ways as the twinkling stars disappeared along with the moon. A watercolour of sunset painted the sky.

He had to face another day. Changing into his work attire, he caught his reflection in the corner of his eyes.

Blood smeared over white.

A coldness overtook him. Shaken, he looked down at his white haori to see that there were no blood stains. He clenched his hands tight in order to stop the slight tremble.

It wouldn't stop.

A low growl vibrated against his throat. His footsteps resounded harshly against the wooden floor as he approached the entrance. Annoyance masked behind hardened eyes. Sensing her nearby, he didn't bother to glance her way. He couldn't risk another memory disturbing him.

For the first time in his life, there was a loss of control. Instead, he did what he only knew what to do. He kept to himself. Never knowing when he would be triggered, he shut her out.

Ignoring her completely, he entered his office upon entry. Not sparing her a single glance.

He watched as weeks would pass by. The distance between the Miko and him grew. His defences never lowered, yet...he couldn't rest.

He met with the edge of sanity.

She was the reason why.

"General?" The sound of an officer entered cautiously. Knowing they were walking on thin ice at the look in the General's eyes, he stuttered, "Officer Higurashi requested a CT and MRI scans of Officer Hikaru. Here are the results that came in for your approval."

The officer scurried over to his desk and placed it down before disappearing. Clawed hands grabbed the documents and scanned through them. Each second that passed by, the grip on the x-ray sheet tightened.

So, the Miko hadn't given up on rescuing the crow. She finally found a lead.

' _Sesshomaru-sama, just because I love him doesn't mean he will love me back. Love doesn't work that way all the time. I find it almost a miracle when two people find love for each other.'_

Rin. He never forgot.

Going through necessary documents, he piled the rest of the work aside. He would have time during the night to finish them. Standing up from his desk, he exited the office. On the same day each year, he went to go visit her. Far from the city, the silent embrace of nature surrounded him. He sped through the familiar forest in the West where she lay. Trailing through unmarked territory, the presence of others grew steadily to none. Nature was the only witness to her burial grounds. His steps slowed and halted before a stone carving. Millions of flowers scattered around the stone as it sat straight under the sunlight.

Leaning against the thick trunk, he sat amongst the grass. He had seen death more than he could possibly count. Only her grave did he come to visit once a year. The only being he thought would be of importance.

Though she had died of old age, her death had never affected him as the Miko did.

He knew.

No one would affect him as the Miko did.

' _Watching the person you love not look at you the same...hurts_.' Her eyes watered as she always told him of her stories when he visited. Adapted into human society, his ward had fallen in love with a human boy. Though he did not think anything impressive of the boy, his ward seemed to be infatuated. He watched from afar how she rooted for his love when he fell in love with someone else. His ward remained close friends with the human boy as she lived alone until she died of old age. When he confronted her of this, she responded, ' _To love someone means that it isn't about only your happiness. I want him to be happy.'_

The image of the Miko and the crow whispering to each other flashed through his mind. A sharp growl erupted in the peaceful clearing. He would never agree with his ward's way of thinking.

' _You'll understand when you fall in love, Sesshomaru-sama._ ' The memory of Rin's voice whispered gently in the breeze.

##

Spending hours at the burial site, it had soon grown dark. He walked silently through the dim corridors. All lights in the house were turned off, indicating the late hours that had passed. Entering his room, he smelled the faint scent of the Miko drift through their connecting door.

A fresh field of flowers.

The wary look on his eyes slightly faded. She was alive. Knowing he would not be able to sleep, he turned on the lamp in his room. He reached out to pick up a book when he paused. The smell of tears mixed with fear alerted him. Before he heard the Miko scream, he swung open their connecting door.

"NOOO!"

Blood red eyes searched for the intruder that tried to harm her. Quickly realizing that there was no intruder, he watched the Miko awaken by a nightmare.

Sobbing, she choked out, "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry...I'm sorry...sorry."

His eyes softened at the sight.

The distance he tried to create easily crumbled as he closed the gap.

Her heat embraced him.

Warmth.

"I'm sorry," her voice filling the void he had caused. Her touch unknowingly lifted the burden he carried. His hand moved without thought and brushed through her soft thick hair.

The restlessness he felt...gone.

Golden eyes stared down to look at the tear stains on her cheeks. Her eyes remained closed and glistened with fresh tears. The moonlight reflected against her milky skin. His gaze hidden in the darkness of the room held an expression none would witness.

Loving.

"I won't leave you. I'll be by your side," her words held him captivated.

Pause.

' _You'll understand when you fall in love, Sesshomaru-sama.'_

One sided love.

Realization flickered across his eyes, then chaos. Memories of his ward watching yearningly at the human boy for years, unable to touch him, flashed through his head. Watching her loved one marry another, she was left alone.

No, he couldn't follow the path his ward chose.

His hand wrapped around her fragile neck.

He pulled her closer to him.

Heat rushed through him at the touch of her lips on his.

A hunger tore at him as he tasted her.

He ran his tongue across the bottom of her lip as he wrapped an arm around her tiny waist to bring her closer. His thumb brushed gently along her neckline as he engraved how perfectly she felt in his arms.

Feeling her push away, he reluctantly let go. He watched the confusion and daze in her eyes.

He wanted her.

' _I find it almost a miracle when two people find love for each other.'_

Living without her wasn't an option anymore.

Knowing she held guilt over what her death had caused him, he used it to his advantage.

"You're sorry, so stay by my side, forever." A grip tightened around his chest.

Would he regret choosing this path?

She stared at him with a mixture of guilt and confusion.

' _Watching the person you love not look at you the same...hurts_.'

It hurt.

Backed against the bed, she fell onto the silk sheets with a gasp. His figure loomed above her as silver white hair covered her surrounding.

"Sessho-" her words were left unfinished as his lips covered her's. His weight pinned her to the bed, leaving her at the mercy of his grasp. Struggling, she turned her head to the side to escape. Prepared, he placed his hand against her cheek making her face him again. She moved her tongue to prevent him from entering past her lips, but it only helped him deepen the kiss. A red tint coloured her cheeks. Heat consumed her as if she was being swallowed up. Carried away by a strange new sensation, her mind fogged.

He needed more. Fingers trailed from her collarbone down past the valley of her chest. Watching her shiver in pleasure from his touch, his control almost broke. Finding the sash to her yukata, he slowly tugged on it. Loosened, he drank in the beauty before him.

Her ebony hair spread across the white sheets. Her flushed cheeks bringing colour to her skin. The sakura patterned fabric of her yukata fell past her shoulders, exposing her. Her eyes drowned in heat as her lips parted almost panting out of breath.

' _Sesshomaru-sama, just because I love him doesn't mean he will love me back. Love doesn't work that way all the time.'_ His ward's words intruded into his mind.

Sensing that all movement had stopped, Kagome felt the fog clear from her eyes. Her gaze met his and caused her to wince.

A brokenness.

If he were to continue, there was no turning back. He would either lose her forever or not.

This one sided love.

This was the line his ward feared to cross.

##

 **Thank you for reading.**

 **Your reviews are cherished and appreciated.**


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter Fifteen – Chaos**

A groan slipped past her lips.

She didn't want to move.

Her cheeks snuggled deeper into the soft pillow. A faint breeze travelled past her exposed skin sticking out from under the blanket. Slowly drawing her legs and arms back under the fabric, she felt her bare skin brush against each other. The heat of the sun hit directly onto her eyes, forcing her to get up. A wince flashed through her face as she sat up from her bed. Her eyes slowly adjusted to the room.

His room.

Glancing out through the window, she saw the sun at the centre of the sky. It was already noon. She was completely late for work, but she didn't care. A slip of fabric fell off from her shoulders and left her naked on the bed. A rush of heat flushed against her cheeks as she pulled the blanket to hide her exposed body. Her yukata was no where to be found. Wrapping the fabric around her, the blanket dragged across the room as she entered her's.

Each step caused a slight soreness.

Kagome went straight to the showers and finally allowed the temporary coverage to fall to the tiled ground. Her flushed cheeks grew darker as she tried to ignore the bite marks and kiss marks scattered across her body. Hot water dripped down her skin reminding her of the heat of last night's scene. Her finger wandered towards her lips and brushed against them. Everything happened so quickly, she couldn't gather her thoughts.

Dazed, she stood in silence.

Black hair strands stuck to the shape of her neck, no longer sticking to her from the sweat. Her eyes closed as droplets of water softly trickled down. She melted to his touch causing her to become enraptured in his embrace the entire night.

It wasn't her first time with a man, but it never felt like this before.

She never felt such...pleasure.

Remembering the sound of his breath so close to her ear and feeling the heated breeze down her neck...she covered her ears. Squeezing her eyes shut, she tried to ignore the rush of heat travelling lower. The sensation grew causing her to quickly end her shower. She snatched her uniform and hid the evidence of last night. She stared at the mirror before her and paused. Her mind slowly clearing, she tried to process.

What was she doing?

She was never one to just sleep with anyone.

But..Sesshomaru wasn't just anyone.

Her brows furrowed.

What was he to her?

The mixture of multiple feeling surfaced. Guilt, loyalty, admiration, respect, trust...friendship.

Now after last night she was left with confusion.

She made her way to the entrance and noticed a driver waiting for her. Shaking her head side to side, she told herself this wasn't the time. She would think of this later. At the moment, she couldn't preoccupy her mind with these thoughts. She needed to use all her energy into figuring out Hikaru's situation.

Her strides grew confident as the soreness eased away.

Zero Division was as busy as ever. Officers stalked from one side to the other in a rush. Voices carried over as discussions and missions were carried out. Unable to lift her eyes to the direction of his office, she passed by the glass windows that overlooked the Division. An officer caught up to her and said, "I've left the CT and MRI scan results on your desk. They've been approved by the General."

Giving a sharp nod, she was left alone in her office. Her fingers grazed over the x-ray sheets and picked out one of the many. She turned towards the large window that looked out onto the city of Tokyo. Lifting the CT scan into the sunlight, her gaze remained focused. The image of Hikaru's brain appeared normal, until her eye caught a dark image near the hippocampus and the frontal lobe. Needing a closer examination, she turned to her desk and picked out an MRI scan. Lifting it up, she saw a substance in the same areas that appeared foreign to the brain.

She had a lead.

"Kannako, Itsuki," she called for her team. "Have the doctors prepare the live clips of Hikaru's MRI scans. I want a copy of both those scans. I need you to find any information on how miasma affects the internal body."

Memorizing her orders, Kannako and Itsuki parted ways to complete the task they were given. Her fingers drummed against the edge of her desk. Biting down on her lip, she felt a sense of dread. If her assumptions were correct, Hikaru could be in greater danger than she thought. On a time constraint, she had to make sure before making a move.

"Leader, the doctors have the video ready," Kannako panted as she rushed back towards her office. Kagome tilted her head and motioned for Kannako to follow behind. She reached one side of the Zero Division and walked past two tall white doors. Entering into the medical division, Kagome stuck out from the crowd of doctors and researchers wearing white lab coats. She walked up to a room with black tinted windows. Stepping in, the doctors bowed and greeted her. Kagome nodded her head, but her eyes were focused on the screen before her. A replay of the live MRI scans projected in front of her.

The brain pulsed as blood flowed through the stems. Kagome watched carefully at the dark image around his hippocampus.

"What is that?" Kannako breathed out in a state of confusion.

Leeching itself to the hippocampus, the dark substance pulsed along with the brain cells. It acted as though it was one with the brain. Tricking the flow of blood, it nourished the foreign substance as if it was their own.

"Leader!" Itsuki cried out as he entered the room out of breath. "I researched what you told me. I went through the database and found that miasma can attach to an internal organ and slowly poison it without being detected. Those who can produce miasma have their own signature use. Depending on the owner, miasma can be used to infect people, make them hallucinate, kill or even...manipulate."

Kannako gasped in realization as Itsuki looked at her with understanding.

Her assumptions had been correct.

"It's like a bomb that could explode at any moment," Itsuki informed their Leader. Kannako asked the doctors that stood on the side lines, "How do we extract it?"

They looked at one another in utter defeat. The head doctor explained, "The miasma is on two sides of the brain. If we extract one from the hippocampus, who knows if the other will trigger and leak poison into the frontal lobe section. There is not enough research to safely remove the miasma."

"But if we don't do anything, the miasma will kill Hikaru either way! It's slowly killing him at this very moment!" Kannako said with frustration towards the doctors.

Kagome raised her hand causing Kannako to step back. "Itsuki?"

"Yes." He replied obediently.

"I need your help with this."

"Yes, Leader," he said without hesitation.

Kagome instructed Kannako, "Report everything to the General. We will start extracting within the hour."

"Yes, Leader," she responded dutifully and proceeded towards the exit. Kagome glanced at the head doctor. "How long would it take to perform the surgery?"

The head doctor frowned. "I would need at least 5 hours. But how will you ensure that the surgery doesn't trigger the miasma to spread quickly?"

"The miasma is processing what Hikaru is thinking and manipulating it. All we need to do is manipulate what Hikaru see's. If he doesn't know we are extracting, then the miasma won't know of it as well." She tapped a finger against her chin as she thought of a plan.

The head doctor listened to the information she had shared and looked shocked. The explanation was so simple and yet every doctor concluded that Officer Hikaru was a lost cause. The head doctor looked at the Miko with disbelief. How was it that she figured out how to complete a miasma extraction when there were doctors who had spent centuries trying to figure out a way?

Kannako had returned and appeared a bit shaken. "The General has been informed, Leader."

Nurses efficiently set up the room to prepare for surgery.

The plan was finalized.

She was going to save Hikaru.

##

 **Thank you for reading.**

 **Your reviews have been motivating me up to this point.**


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter Sixteen – Extraction**

Medical machines scattered around the surgery room. Cords and wires covered the grounds as the sound of a heartbeat signaled on the monitor. An unconscious Hikaru remained still as he was strapped onto a table that leaned him upright. Kagome supervised the process as a special kind of anesthetic was inserted into Hikaru's body to ensure he didn't feel any pain but would remain awake during the entire process.

Holding both his gloved hands in the air, he held a scalpel ready to make an incension into Hikaru's head. The head doctor looked at her, informing her that he was prepared to start the extraction.

Hikaru needed to be awake during the process. If he remained unconscious during the surgery, the miasma will be alerted by his brain activity and place Hikaru in danger. He needed to be distracted for the miasma to be caught off guard.

Kagome signaled for Itsuki to start. Illusions ran thick in the kitsune blood line. Closing his eyes, he motioned his hands and chanted a charm. A fog seeped into the surgery room and created an illusion of the interrogation room. The presence of all the individuals inside the room were concealed. Itsuki ensured Kagome that Hikaru would wake up feeling like he was still chained to the wall.

Slowly, Hikaru's eyes opened.

Kagome held her breath as she watched him look around the room and remained silent.

He believed the illusion. It worked.

Kagome nodded her head towards the doctor to start. The first hole was made near the hippocampus. Blood trailed down the back of his head, but Hikaru's expression remained calm indicating that the anesthetic worked.

The first half of the surgery passed. Kagome watched as the doctor finally pulled out a purple substance and placed it into a closed container.

One more to go.

Kagome felt his gaze. Through the black tinted windows, she knew Sesshomaru was watching. If the extraction was unsuccessful, Hikaru would die either by the miasma or execution as a threat to the Zero Division. The head doctor had already started to terminate the remaining miasma in the frontal lobe. Hikaru remained waiting, believing that he was still detained in the interrogation room.

Hours had passed.

An audience of officers gathered by the window to investigate the surgery room.

All were on edge.

She was alerted by a soft grunt. Her eyes flew towards Itsuki and noticed the sweat trailing down his face.

Hikaru's brows slightly furrowed.

He would not be able to hold the illusion in time.

A panic coursed through her veins. Looking at the head doctor she demanded, "How much longer?"

The doctor kept his eyes on the clamp halfway deep into the crow's brain. "A few minutes."

A loud thump alerted the audiences in the room. Itsuki had fallen unconscious, breaking the illusion. The dazed Hikaru started to notice he wasn't chained in the interrogation any longer.

"The miasma is spreading." The doctor informed Kagome.

She needed to do something. Fast.

She placed herself in Hikaru's line of sight.

"Leader," he voiced weakly in the state of utter confusion.

She recognized the eyes that slowly faded into pitch black. "Noboru. What are you?"

The confusion on Hikaru's expression froze and turned blank. His mouth moved to the command of the puppet master. "So, you figured out it was me."

Her eyes narrowed dangerously, disliking the fact that Noboru was using her team member. Her gaze remained locked on Hikaru's, but caught in the corner of her eye that the head doctor proceeded with the extraction. Her distraction was working.

"You were supposed to be dead. Well, that's okay. I'll just have to kill you again." Hikaru voiced in a monotone as if reading a script.

"I asked you what you were. Why are you so similar to Naraku?" Kagome asked again. She knew her question caught Noboru off guard. Kagome knew the head doctor was close to finishing the process, but was waiting for her to get her answer.

"When you're born out of hatred, everything else is just a vessel," were the last words before Noboru's presence was cut off. The doctor pulled out the last miasma. Hikaru went unconscious. Nurses took over to stich the wound and took Itsuki away to recover. Her job done, she exited the busy room.

Kannako approached and lowered her head, "The General and officers have called in an emergency meeting. With the new information gathered from Hikaru's extraction, they would like your input."

Kagome nodded her head in understanding. She walked towards the meeting room and stepped into a crowd of officers murmuring to one another. Her presence caused the room to silence.

Kagome handed the usb copy of Hikaru's MRI scans to the technical assistant. The live MRI scans were immediately projected onto the screen before her. All attention landed on her as she pointed at the dark images on the screen.

"Miasma, they can be used to infect, poison, suffocate…or in this case, manipulate. June 19th at midnight, Officer Hikaru shot five bullets which led to my death. When interrogated, he had no memory of pulling the trigger. He completed several lie detectors that proved his story was correct, however it did not match up to what truly happened."

Her fingers pointed at the miasma on his Hippocampus. "The miasma blocked his memory of ever pulling the trigger and placed in a substitution memory of the Youkai Rebel's knocking him unconscious."

Her fingers trailed over to the frontal lobe where another miasma was located. "This is where Hikaru was manipulated into shooting me. The extraction of the miasma was successful. However, during the process, Noboru revealed himself."

"You asked Noboru what he was and that he was similar to Naraku. Why?" An officer that had observed the entire surgery stated his question.

"Naraku, was able to produce miasma. Naraku needed to regenerate once a year. His regeneration process was to absorb other beings which Noboru does as well. Naraku was able to manipulate others by tainting the Shikon no Tama shard with his miasma. Does this sound familiar?"

Kannako heard stories from her descendants, the Taijiya clan, that Naraku was killed during the last fight. She said aloud her thoughts, "Naraku was killed decades ago."

The crowd grew louder as some argued that Noboru could be Naraku in disguise. Those who lived through the feudal era felt the fear Naraku had caused in the past. Kagome tried to calm down the panic. "Noboru is NOT Naraku."

A hush came over the audience, waiting to hear the Miko's explanation.

"Noboru said that when born from hatred, everything else is just a vessel. There are many ways to interpret this, but there is one theory. Onigumo was the vessel of this hatred which created Naraku. Though Naraku was destroyed, it doesn't mean the hatred born within him had died."

"Noboru is just the hatred Naraku left behind." The General spoke to summarize the Miko's theory.

"Yes," She said.

It made sense. This was why Noboru's actions were so irrational and based on pure rage. This was why Noboru didn't bother taking over the world, it just wanted destruction.

The General stood from his seat. "The research team will look into this theory," looking at the kitsune he said, "Inform the Zero Division of the update." Sesshomaru landed his gaze upon the Miko and said, "Find out how the miasma infected the crow."

With the General's orders, the meeting dispersed.

Kagome paused. She had overlooked that piece of information. Sesshomaru had caught on to a flaw she had missed. How did Noboru infect Hikaru?

She soon stood alone in the meeting room with Kannako waiting for orders. The doctors informed her that Hikaru would be unconscious for another day or so, recovering. She wouldn't be able to ask him any questions until then. Snapping out of her thoughts, she needed to start somewhere. "Kannako, I want you to look into the miasma that was extracted. Update me on any new findings."

Kannako bowed before heading for the medical headquarters to complete her task.

##

Her feet led her to the archives. Bookshelves reached high above the tall ceilings and filled the room with knowledge. She appeared so small in comparison to the huge room. She easily spent hours in the maze-like room, searching for books that could tell her more. With silence as the only option in the quarters, the thoughts in her head felt louder than usual.

Her eyes scanned through stacks of books. Narrowed down to ten books, she finally head back to her office. Exiting the archive, she realized there had been no windows to notify her of the time. Glancing outside, she saw that it was already dark. Time had flown by so fast. Placing the books she had picked out on her desk, she sat down prepared to go through them.

"Miko," his voice brought her attention up from the stack of books in her way. She saw him standing at her doorway, waiting. Glancing down at the pages of information, she hesitated. There was so much to learn. She closed the book and placed it down. Tempting, but she knew he waited for her to go home. She walked by his side and noticed that they were the last ones to leave again, besides the overnight security.

Her head busily tried to wrap around the chaos today. So much had happened, but at least Hikaru was safe. Slowly, but surely, she processed the events that occurred. Feeling the vibration of the car die down, out of habit she stepped out of the car and walked towards the house. Occupied by her own thoughts, her body moved by routine. Soon approaching her room door, she paused. The thoughts of Hikaru vanished, replaced by the memory of Sesshomaru's touch. Near the location of where it happened, the memories flooded in. Her cheeks glowed as she quickly turned around scanned to see if he noticed her reaction.

The hallway was empty.

She retraced her steps from the car and realized Sesshomaru hadn't followed her inside the house. Where did he go? Not pondering on the question for too long, she closed the door to her room. She was almost thankful he wasn't there. She wouldn't know how to interact with him outside of work anymore. If work hadn't been so crazy today, she didn't even know how she'd face him at work.

Closing her eyes, she sank into her bed. Tired.

The memory of his arms wrapped around her waist. He held her as she drifted off to sleep. The faint brush of his fingers against her hair. She had felt safe.

Lying in her bed alone…

It felt different.

##

 **Thank you for reading.**

 **Your reviews are cherished and appreciated.**


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter Seventeen – Love**

The trickling sound of water travelled through the garden. Wild flowers sprouted from the grounds and surrounded the space. A small river flowed down as it flourished the plants nearby. Wearing a simple white dress, she sat along the edge of a river. Barefoot, she swung her legs back and forth as small fishes swam past her.

It was the weekend, yet it felt weird not going into work. Hikaru was still unconscious, so she decided to just stay at home and research some more.

But, she couldn't focus.

 _His tongue travelled lower, tasting her as pleasure enraptured her entire body. Her mind paralyzed as her body submitted to his will._

The memories invaded her thoughts.

 _His fingers left a trail of heat as she drowned in the sensation._

Unable to work any longer, she found herself by the river.

 _Dripping wet, he finally entered her causing a moan to slip past her lips. Her reaction only caused him to thrust deeper._

The water rushing past her bare skin helped cool her down.

 _Warmth shot through her as he buried himself deep within her. Her lips widened as a silent cry of release never left past her throat. Trying to catch her breath, she watched a daze as his pants synchronized with her's. White liquid dripped down her thigh as he pulled out causing her to shiver in pleasure once more._

Why did he kiss her? The kiss that caused the ripple of events afterwards.

She tried to understand what happened that night. But every time she tried to replay the details of that night, she would burn out with embarrassment. Covering her face with both hands, red cheeks were seen through the space between her fingers.

Why did she sleep with him?

Was it out of lust? Was it because she felt lonely? Was it…love?

A sigh sounded from her lips. Was she even capable of loving someone again? Being torn away from Inuyasha had left some scars.

Scared.

No, it couldn't have been out of love. She never even thought of looking at Sesshomaru in that way. Concluding that it must have been because she felt lonely, she needed to now know Sesshomaru's side of the story.

Yes, that's what she needed to do. She needed to confront him about the situation.

The thought of speaking about that night with him caused her to hesitate.

'Later,' she thought. Instead, she pushed out thoughts of Sesshomaru and remembered her days with Inuyasha. Her feelings for Inuyasha were not as chaotic as Sesshomaru made her feel. Closing her eyes, she titled her chin towards the sky and basked in the sunlight.

No, the memories with Inuyasha were sweet and innocent.

Infatuation? The thought flickered through her mind. A slight wrinkle formed between her brows. If her emotions for Inuyasha were infatuation, then what was it to truly love someone?

It had to be love.

The pain she felt when she was forced to separate from Inuyasha was true.

She had lost a lot of precious friends that day, too.

Everything she thought as fact suddenly became questioned.

Shaken.

She needed to talk to someone.

Sesshomaru.

Kagome walked back into the house and down the corridors. Her hand came into contact with the front of his door.

Silence.

Hearing no response, the door creaked open as she pulled on the handle. The large wooden door opened wider for her to see the inside of his room.

No one.

Stepping inside, she wondered where Sesshomaru had gone to. Did he go to work?

The sun reached the line of mountains as the moon slowly appeared in the sky. She felt herself fall into the embrace of the bed as blankets caught her. She was alone again. The odd empty feeling sank in. Snuggling her nose closer to the sheets of his bed, she breathed in his scent.

She fell into a dream.

A dream about her first encounter with Sesshomaru from the past. Even then and now, her memories of him were not sweet and innocent.

##

He stood by his office window that overlooked the entire Zero Division. A long line stretched across the area where all officers and employees waited to go through a CT scan. It was ordered that everyone undergo a scan to see if there were others that could be manipulated by Noboru. The process had taken all day but resulted in the clear. No one else had been affected by Noboru's miasma. Just the crow.

Exiting his office, black boots descended the steps. Silver hair stood out from the crowd as all moved aside from his approach. He didn't find the need to be at work any longer. Already past evening, he stepped into the car that waited for him at the exit. He would go home, where she was.

The taste of her carved into his memory.

The touch of her naked skin against his burned.

If not for the new threat that Noboru posed, he would have been tempted to keep the Miko in bed. The thought of her melting into his arms that night loosened the grip around his chest. She didn't reject him.

One night wasn't enough. It only made the hunger grow.

Soon standing before her room door, he paused. He had decided to act on his one-sided love, unlike his ward. But now he was reconsidering whether Rin was right to do so. After having a taste of what it was like holding her in his arms… he fell deeper. The risk grew. In the end, she didn't look at him the same.

A flicker of emotion fleeted across his eyes before going dim.

He walked past her room and entered his.

Did it take more courage to keep silent about one's love?

The memories and stories of her story rushed past his mind. Silently rooting for her love to be happy, even if it was not with her.

He had done the opposite.

Selfishness.

A pang of guilt burdened his chest. His eyes lowered as his hands clenched into a fist.

But, it's because…

His eyes caught the sight of her ankles sticking out from underneath his bed sheets. There on his bed, she lay on her side. The gentle sound of her breathing filled the room. Her steady heartbeat soothed his aching chest. Her scent entangled with the soft breeze entering through the windows.

One side of the bed dipped as he closed the space between them. Wrapping his arms around her waist, he pulled her closer to him. His nose buried in her hair as his lips touched her forehead. Clawed hands brushed through her thick locks, then down her fragile neck. A small sigh sounded from her lips as she snuggled closer towards the heat he gave.

Precious.

Slowly, his mouth brushed against the tip of her ear. A voice so tender, the moon was its only witness.

"I love you."

##

 **Thank you for reading.**

 **Your reviews are cherished and appreciated.**


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter Eighteen – Unrequited**

She felt a soft warm breeze tickle the side of her cheeks. Thick lashes slowly fluttered open as she felt his body entangled with her's. Her gaze landed on his slumbering expression. Her breath hitched, seeing the unguarded Inuyoukai for the first time. Embarrassment exposed on her cheeks as she realized that he had caught her sleeping in his bed. She quickly struggled to untangle herself and crawled out of bed.

He sensed her movement and lazily opened his eyes, awake the entire time. The warmth of her presence slowly faded as he watched the Miko tip toe back to her room.

She needed to get to work. Hikaru should be awake by now. Changing outfits, she tried to organize her thoughts.

"Focus," she mumbled to herself, trying to rid of the sensation of his safe embrace she had awoken to. It wasn't as easy as before. She couldn't seem to push aside the thoughts of him. Releasing a heavy sigh, she headed towards the entrance where he waited.

She was too aware of him now.

The ride to work didn't feel comfortable anymore.

Even though he sat on the other side of the car, she still felt he was too close. She could still feel the lingering sensation of his arm wrapped around her waist. His breath against her cheek. His legs resting between her thighs. Glancing out the window, she wondered when the car ride started to feel so long.

"The crow is the only one affected by Noboru's miasma." The sudden sound of his voice caused her to flinch, which was not left unnoticed. His voice distracted her from recalling last night.

"Yes, I will be questioning Hikaru today. He should be conscious by now. I have Kannako observing the miasma that was extracted as well." She said curtly, trying to end the conversation.

"You will do so under my supervision." He ordered. He doubted that the Miko would be able to extract any information. She trusted the crow fully which would cloud her sense of discernment. She was fully aware that she only had one chance to lead the interrogation.

Kagome hesitated. He was going to be around her during work as well? She remained silent and bolted out the car door once they had arrived.

His eyes narrowed. She was avoiding him.

Stab.

Reaching her office, she was finally alone. Her hands patted against her chest to calm the pounding of her heartbeat. She didn't understand why she was so out of breath. Why was her body reacting so frantically?

"Leader," Ituski and Kannako entered her office.

She turned around surprised at their entry, preoccupied in her thoughts. Itsuki asked with concern, "Are you okay, leader?"

Her subordinates watched her with worry as she glanced through the reflection of the office windows to see from their perspective what they saw.

Rosie cheeks, flustered expression a wilderness in her eyes.

"I'm fine," she told them and herself. "Let's go."

Leading the way, Itsuki and Kannako followed their leader towards the medical division. Entering the patient section, Kagome slid open the door to her team member's room.

Hikaru was hooked up to many tubes as a white band of cloth circled around his head. Resting in a hospital bed, Hikaru appeared frail after the surgery. His eyes slowly gazed towards the visitors. A light brightened his eyes as a small smile appeared on his mouth. He whispered, "Leader."

Kagome reached his side and smiled. "You're finally awake. How are you feeling?"

"Never been better," he said jokingly.

Relief. Hikaru was acting like himself again.

Kagome watched as the smile on Hikaru's lips faltered. From behind, she heard Itsuki and Kannako acknowledge.

"General."

Kagome looked back and saw Sesshomaru walk in. Lowering her head, she mumbled, "General."

Flustered.

Turning her attention back to Hikaru, she felt heat on her cheeks. Her thoughts scattered, causing her to forget what she was supposed to inform Hikaru. Kannako caught this and explained, "Leader found miasma attached to your frontal lobe and hippocampus. It should explain why you have no memory of pulling the trigger."

Hikaru winced and croaked, "So I really did kill you."

"You did." His voice filled with iciness directed towards the crow.

Kagome fumbled with her words as she said, "It wasn't you. Noboru was manipulating you. It could have been anyone."

Hikaru lowered his eyes in shame.

Her hand reached for his as she reprimanded him for feeling guilty. "Hikaru, it's not your fault. I don't blame you. If you need to blame someone, blame Noboru."

His eyes darkened as he stared at the contact between the Miko and crow. "How did Noboru get to you, crow."

The voice of their General caused Itsuki and Kannako to cringe. A chill shot down their back in fear.

"I don't… I don't know." Hikaru said in lost. Flipping through his memory, he tried to figure out how Noboru could have inserted his miasma.

"You lied about not knowing who massacred your clan. Why?" His eyes held no sympathy, no emotion.

"I… I wanted revenge. I was five! All I wanted was to be the one to kill Noboru." Hikaru answered desperately. Anything he said, he knew the General did not believe. The distrust and hatred in the General's eyes were evident.

Kagome released Hikaru's hand and stepped in front of Sesshomaru's view. "General, I will question Hikaru."

Her chance was gone.

"Miko, leave." Staring past her, he knew she wouldn't be able to get any answers out of the crow.

Determination written across her face as she planned to stand her ground, but she heard Hikaru say, "Leader, he's right."

She knew it was a conflict of interest to question her own team member. She trusted Hikaru too much to doubt him. Though looking at the way Sesshomaru was questioning Hikaru now, she didn't want to leave him. Struggling to follow with procedures, she exited the room with Itsuki and Kannako.

The sound of the door sliding shut echoed, then silence.

Cold eyes bore down at the bed ridden crow. "What happened when Noboru tried to absorb you?"

Hikaru paused. A frown appeared on his face and then a smirk appeared on his lips. "Seems like you're determined to kill me anyways. Why bother questioning me? Are you going to force me to plead guilty like you forced her to sleep with you?"

The scent of the General was all over his Leader. "You can tell just by looking at the way my Leader acts around you, that's what happened."

Staring at the General, Hikaru was convinced of his theory.

Silence.

Though the hatred for the crow had grown, the guilt silenced him.

Stab.

"She doesn't look at you with love. So? What did you do to make her sleep with you?" Hikaru didn't care anymore. He didn't care if he was overstepping the boundaries of his station. The only person he would respect was his Leader.

Acid sizzled against the marble tiles of the hospital room. Green venom dripped from the tip of his claw. He could kill the crow, but she would hate him for that.

The only evidence of his pain was by the grip on his fists. The world saw nothing but a stoic mask, yet on the inside surged with guilt and regret. Even the crow pinpointed exactly what he had done. Even the crow knew the Miko did not love him back.

With so many emotions pushed down since he was arrested for the murder of his leader, it all surfaced now. The General was the target of his anger. Hikaru snarled, "Ah, did you force her into it because you saved her life? She submitted cause she owed you?"

Slam.

The door was forced open in great speed.

"Hikaru. Stop." The warning in her voice travelled from the entrance. Kagome had caught their conversation as she waited by the door. Hikaru bit his lip shut in shame. He didn't think she would have overheard.

"Rest, Hikaru. I will come visit you later," she said calmly, knowing that he had been taking his anger out on the General. Kagome neared Sesshomaru and grasped his hand. She led him out of the hospital room and found an empty room. Closing the door, she turned her attention to him. Her heart ached at the sight.

His eyes dimmed, revealing an emptiness.

"You didn't kill him," Kagome breathed out in surprise.

He remained distant.

"You were silent."

"I do not need to answer to him."

"What Hikaru said was wrong."

Golden eyes finally stared at the Miko and held the unanswered question past his expression, ' _Was he?_ '

She held her tongue, wondering if she should ask. She heard his voice confess last night, but she had thought of it as a dream. Was it not? His actions today made her question…perhaps it wasn't a dream. Perhaps, Sesshomaru was in love with her. Needing to know the answer, she asked softly, "Do you…love someone?"

She could feel the pounding against her chest as she asked the question. Mustering up the courage, she stared into blank eyes. She couldn't read his expression. A heavy pause filled the gap between them.

Perhaps she was wrong?

"Yes."

Her eyes widened in surprise.

The emptiness in his voice revealed a tint of sorrow as he said, "An unrequited one."

##

 **Author's Note: Thank you for reading. Please do share your thoughts. They encourage me!**

 **Your reviews are cherished and appreciated.**


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter Nineteen – Answers**

The sound of her heartbeat was projected through the heart monitor. The doctor instructed her to remain still as they ran the MRI scans. With a strap across her forehead, she felt a chill down her spine as her skin touched the cold surface of the machine. The hum of the device came alive, indicating that her brain was being observed at the moment.

Everyone at Zero Division had completed an MRI scan. The results came out negative. However, none had encountered Noboru before. Only Hikaru and herself had come into contact with him. It was only a theory, but Hikaru could have been poisoned when he was being absorbed during their mission. Kagome remembered purple like substances sticking to her as well. There was a chance that Noboru managed to insert his miasma in her. As precaution, the General ordered for her MRI scans to be completed.

The vibrations of the machine died down.

"Clear," the doctor informed her. Sitting up from the table, she hopped off. She watched from a distance as Sesshomaru stood staring at the screen that played her live MRI scans. Past the glass window that separated him from her, she noted his stoic expression. She knew they had found no traces of miasma. She had a feeling that was the case. She was certain her reiki would have noticed the toxin and purified it. However, this meant that the theory of Hikaru being poisoned during the absorption could neither be proven true or false.

Changing into her uniform, she stepped out of the room.

"Kagome," her attention found the owner of the voice. A smile appeared on her lips as Shippo approached her. "All troops have cleared out from your house. Your family can return home now."

Home. She had almost forgotten. After the incident with Noboru, her family was safely kept in a distant location. Now that the threat and investigation was cleared out, she could return. She muttered, "Right."

Hesitance.

Frowning at the odd sensation caused by Shippo's news, she said quickly, "I'll inform Sesshomaru, thank you."

Her eyes captured his nose sniff towards her direction. Shippo stiffened instantly. He said with a hint of shock, "You…and Sesshomaru?"

A tingle of heat showered her entire body. She remembered Hikaru had said the General's scent was all over her. Did that mean the entire division knew of it? Embarrassment evident in her voice, she tried to ask her only friend for advice. "How do I remove this scent? I showered!"

"Remove it?" Shippo appeared more lost at this point. His expression switched as he voiced in a serious tone, "Kagome, what's going on? You would have had to be…intimate if he marked you. Was it against your will?"

"What? No! Marked? What do you mean?" Confusion written across her face, she felt the temperature of her body rise.

A sigh released from his lips as his body relaxed a bit. "A youkai can infuse their scent onto their partner to mark them as theirs. It's sort of like an engagement in youkai terms. Did you not know of this?"

Kagome shook her head profusely, "Inuyasha never did that with me."

She caught Shippo's expression of confusion when she spoke of Inuyasha in such a way. He said, "Inuyasha? Wasn't it just puppy love? A scent mark is a serious statement of love and commitment."

Shocked, her lips gasped but no words left her mouth.

Puppy love?

Sesshomaru marked her?

Lost.

Sensing his hand pat her shoulder, she returned her attention to him. Shippo stared at her with a slight frown, "If you truly wish to remove it… You'll have to reject him, Kagome."

Her stomach twisted at the thought of rejecting him. Catching Shippo turn to walk away, she stopped him. "What did you mean when you said Inuyasha was just a puppy love?"

Did Shippo know of something that she didn't?

Emerald eyes peered over his shoulder as he turned back to face his friend. His lips tilted to one side, wondering how he could word his sentence. "When I saw your relationship with Inuyasha as a young kitsune, I thought it was love too. But when I fell in love with my wife and felt all sorts of emotions, I realized that what you and Inuyasha shared was more of infatuation. It was sweet and innocent. Love is more…hmmm."

Shippo tapped the tip of his claw against his chin, trying to figure out the word.

"Chaotic," Kagome breathed out as Shippo pointed his fingers indicating that that was the word he was searching for.

Her eyes wandered towards the windows outlooking the city sky. The sun set reflected in her eyes as she slowly processed the information.

So, she never truly understood what love was….until now.

"Love is chaotic," Shippo repeated. He couldn't help remembering his wife. He couldn't help the words that slipped past his lips next. "Then you're thrown into an abyss when the one you love leaves you behind."

"Leaves…" the word place a light in front of one thought. She asked, not wanting Shippo to tell her what she thought was true. "Ultimately, the relationship between a youkai and human will end once a human's life span ends?"

Youkai was meant to be a secret society from humans. There was no need to create a way for youkai and humans to live side by side. This meant, Sesshomaru would still outlive her for centuries. Shippo's silence answered her question.

Despair.

She would return home.

##

The car ride was silent.

She tried to tell him that she was going back home, but when she saw him waiting at the car for her, her lips sealed shut. She tried to open her mouth to inform him during the car ride, but she couldn't bring her eyes to meet his. Sensing their arrival, Kagome stepped out of the car. Thoughts intruded her mind and threw her into confusion. There were so many emotions and thoughts coursing through her body.. she just needed time away to think.

Running away.

She wasn't running away. Catching a glimpse of Tenseiga and Tessaiga, she reached over and grasped the edge of his haori. Halted in front of the corridors by both their rooms, he felt her tug. Before he could turn around to face her, she said softly, "Shippo said that my family is allowed to return home. I'll be returning with them."

The tug on his haori loosened as she rushed to reach her room. Before she could escape his sight, he caught her wrist. "Who said you can leave."

Sensing her struggle from his grasp, he held her captive against the door to her room to which she tried to escape towards. A clawed hand gripped both her wrists above her head as his other held up her chin to look at him. Leaning closer towards her, she struggled no more.

Her eyes shifted to the side, unable to meet him in the eyes. He was angry, she was sure of it. The tug on her chin made her direct her attention to him. What lay behind his eyes was not anger, but instead a sadness.

She was aware of his one-sided love and still… she decided to leave him.

She was clearly rejecting him…and yet…

"Don't leave." He said softly, inches away from her lips. His hand under her chin moved to bring her closer to him. His tongue brushed the bottom of her lips and tasted her. Leaning into her, she melted against his touch. The temperature of her body reached it's peak. A soft moan slipped past her lips as she felt the pleasure of his finger brush down her spin and pull her hips closer to his. The need to resist forgotten for a moment.

Whatever self control she had left, she used to push away from him. Turning her head to the side, her fingers hovered over her swollen lips. Still within his embrace, she whispered, "A human's life span is too short for a youkai to love."

So, she understood that he loved her.

"Why would you mark me then?"

Someone had informed her of the scent mark he placed upon her.

"I'll die again some day. Even Tenseiga won't be able to revive me then. Then what will you do?"

He knew he would have to live centuries after her death.

"Despite everything, you still wish to be with me?"

His chin lowered into a nod. Being unable to touch her or be near her while she lived on would be more torturous. The pounding of his heart grew louder as she placed a hand over his cheek. The feel of her touch sent a wave of sensations through his body. Her touch, so loving, almost caused him to doubt her rejection.

For a moment, he wanted to believe that perhaps it was not a one-sided love.

Suddenly, he felt her touch draw him closer towards her. His eyes widened as her lips found his. Her innocent action caused him to lose all self-control. He picked her up as she wrapped her legs around his waist. His lips never left her's as he deepened the kiss. Entering his room, he lay her across his bed. Ebony strands scattered across his silk sheets. Soft pants left her swollen lips as her eyes glossed over. His hand slid under her button up shirt exposing her stomach. Inch by inch, her clothes stripped from her as he drank in the beauty before him.

Withering in the pool of sensations over her body, her mind grew blank. His lips left trails along her entire body. The thundering sound of her heartbeat was overwritten by the heat of his touch. He touched her with such caution as if she was to be treasured. How much he cherished her almost brought tears to her eyes. Lifting her chin, her lips neared his ears. She confessed ever so softly, "I love you."

His touch paused as his body tensed.

Was he hearing things now?

Golden eyes met with her's.

The ache around his heart melted at the sight of her expression.

A loving smile.

Eyes that portrayed the truth behind her words.

His lips captured her's in desperation. Her hand wrapped around him into an embrace.

Acceptance.

He was left unable to formulate in words the sensation her confession caused within him. Feeling her pull him towards her, he caved into his desires. Waves of heat crashed down on him as he entered her. A soft gasp sounded the room. Her fingers dug into his back as she was overwhelmed with pleasure.

Her walls clenched around him causing him to lose a bit of self-control. Deep within her, his thrusts grew faster. Dripping wet, he knew she was on the verge of release. A cry escaped from her lips as he thrust deep within her one last time.

Holding her, he allowed his scent to infuse into her's. His nose buried within her locks of hair as his arm wrapped securely around her waist. His eyes slowly closed at the peaceful sensation of her body next to his.

No, he wouldn't be able to let her go now.

He loved her too much.

##

 **Author's Note: Happy long weekend! Everyone's reviews were so exciting to read! Thank you.**

 **Your reviews are cherished and appreciated!**


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter Twenty – Threat**

The distant sound of water trickling from the gardens echoed in the background. Rays of sunlight shined in certain sections of the room. Their breathing synchronized as he wrapped his arms firmly around her even in sleep. Slowly, her breath paced out of synch as she started to awaken. It took time to adjust her eyes from the blinding light. The sensation of his body heat against her bare skin. Soon aware of her surrounding, a light blush tinted her cheeks. Kagome struggled to hide her naked body under the sheet, but his arms wrapped around her prevented her from moving much. She tried to escape his embrace, but after a few minutes of wiggling she gave up. Releasing a tired sigh, she accepted defeat that she would be trapped until he woke from his sleep.

His breath softly brushed against her cheek. The rise and fall of his chest kept a steady pace. Her eyes traced the outline of his face.

Fascination.

Wiggling an arm free, she found her fingers tracing the features of his face. Her fingers brushed along the crescent moon on his forehead, then softly trailed down to the stripes on his cheeks. Consumed with awe at the silky sensation of his skin, she didn't notice the golden eyes that had slowly opened. Her fingers entangled within his hair as she stroked through the strands lovingly.

Her heart fluttered as his hands grasped her wandering hand. A silent gasp escaped her lips, which was soon covered with his. A light kiss on her lips caused the blush on her cheeks to darken.

"Good morning," she mumbled shyly. Her eyes shifted downwards in embarrassment. It was clear to her that she was in love with Sesshomaru.

"Morning," the husky sound of his voice in the morning caused her heart to pound a bit more. Remembering the details of last night, she sank her face against his chest to hide. She had confessed last night.

"Kagome," hearing the sound of her name from his lips caused a reaction. She could no longer hear anything but the echo of her beating heart. Her face burned with heat. Butterflies fluttered inside her stomach. Having never felt this way before, she interrupted him.

"Work! We should get to work." Scrambling off the bed, she headed for her room. Closing the connected door, her presence left his room.

He let her escape.

There was no reason to rush her into staying by his side permanently.

Unease.

Running his finger through his hair, he felt the doubt sink in. A slight furrow on his brow appeared.

##

She gazed down at the table scattered with papers, books and reports. Kannako, Itsuki and Hikaru stood in front of her desk assisting her. Her gut told her to keep looking into Noboru and his miasma.

"The miasma that the doctors have extracted found that it had no sense of direction. It just moves in any open space given," Kannako reported. "This would mean that there is no way Noboru could have sent the miasma."

Itsuki inserted, "Perhaps Noboru sent Hikaru a package of miasma like he did to Masaru and just wiped out Hikaru's memory of it."

Hikaru shook his head, "I remember everything I did once the miasma was extracted from me. I would have remembered if I received a package of miasma."

Kannako asked, "How come Masaru wasn't affected by the miasma in terms of manipulation?"

Kagome replied, "It's because I've purified the miasma before it could attach to Masaru's brain. The same goes for me. Even if Noboru wanted to manipulate me, my reiki wouldn't allow the miasma to."

She held a finger against her chin. She mumbled her thought process, "The only way Noboru could have inserted his miasma was when Hikaru was being absorbed for his information."

Her eyes landed on a report of the current status of the Gate of the Afterlife.

Dread.

The memory of Gozu being absorbed for information by Noboru flickered through her mind.

"Gozu," she breathed out in shock. Her feet led her out of the office before she could calculate what to do. Her team members rushed after her to catch up. She headed straight for the General's office. Marching up the stairs, she swung open the glass door.

"Gozu! Noboru is manipulating Gozu!" She yelled frantically. Only he would understand what she meant. Only he was there in the past with her. She continued her explanation, "The only way Hikaru was manipulated was when Noboru was extracting information from him. Noboru did the same to Gozu. Perhaps there was more to Noboru's plan when he got through the ancient well. Noboru had been searching for the ancient well for decades. Why would he just use it to obtain information from Gozu. What if Noboru's main goal in the feudal era was to implant his miasma into Gozu?"

Itsuki, Kannako and Hikaru looked alarmed at their leader's explanation.

Panic.

Gozu, the guardian of the afterlife. If Noboru has the control to manipulate Gozu, then he also has control over hell.

Kagome, lost in a state of panic, fell silent. His expression remained unfazed as a General who had experienced these types of situation many times.

"Get the doctor's ready for extraction," the General ordered Kannako. "Alert the officers to prepare their teams as back up." Itsuki and Hikaru bowed and rushed out to do as commanded.

The two were left alone. Only she could witness a side of him no one else has. The stoic mask melted away as he approached her. Placing a hand behind her back, she stared at him with worry and anxiety. A sense of confidence washed over her doubts at the sight of him. Having fought millions of battles in the past, he stood unwavering.

He was prepared for battle.

His fingers brushed against her chin and tilted her head closer to his. Inches away from her lips, he said softly, "Do not be far from my side."

They were headed for battle.

Closing her eyes, she felt his lips against her's. As a silent promise, she responded to his kiss. She would remain by his side as long as possible.

##

Tall trees reached for the sky and scattered the surrounding. Past the forest of trees, the sunlight no longer shined. Darkness lay beyond the path towards the Gate of the Afterlife. Rows of Zero Division officers stood on standby at the edge of the forest.

Ebony hair flowed past her waist as it fluttered in the wind against her black suit. Itsuki, Kannako and Hikaru stood by her side dressed for their mission. Her team was assigned to protecting the doctors while they extracted the miasma from Gozu. It only made sense that their team was assigned to this mission since they have gone through with it for Hikaru.

Kagome gazed past the hundreds of youkai prepared for battle in case their mission failed. Out of the crowd, she spotted the spiked armor he wore in the past. Tenseiga and Bakusaiga rested on his side. He stood not too far from her, prepared to give orders in case Gozu could not be contained. His gaze met her's and signalled for her to advance.

She took in a deep breath before marching forward. Her team and doctors followed her lead into the entrance of the cave. As if she was sent back into the past, she felt the wind whip past her and sucked into the darkness of the cave. The cave howled from the emptiness inside. Kagome signalled towards Itsuki to start his illusions. A chant mumbled past his lips as a fog surrounded the cave. Slowly, her troop entered deeper into the cave. Itsuki's illusion kept them hidden. Deeper and deeper into the cave, the familiar eerie sensation washed over her.

Something didn't feel right.

Soon standing before the Gate of the Afterlife, Kagome watched in horror as Gozu sliced his spear through Mezu's head and decapitating it. The remaining body of Mezu's fell to the ground in a thundering earthquake. Instantly, the illusion that hid their presence was swept away by the mighty fall.

"Kannako, signal for back up," Kagome ordered immediately. Kannako muttered into a communicator.

"Fall back. Protect the doctors!" Kagome yelled.

Erecting a barrier around them, the force of Gozu's spear collided against the sphere. Footsteps echoed in the cave as back up arrived at the scene. Immediately outnumbered, Gozu retracted his spear and placed a hand on the ground where a puddle of Mezu's blood had formed.

Kagome heard the whispers of Gozu as he chanted, "I summon thee, alas destruction has arrived. Come save this world from the chaos that thou are meant to resolve."

A glow of light illuminated from the ground as a giant figure appeared from the ground. The sensation of dread filled her stomach at the sight of the appearing demon that reached the size of Gozu. A stone like warrior stood with two stone swords crossing over his chest. An ancient being that looked neither human nor youkai stood looming over them. Slowly, his eyes opened to reveal deep black eyes. It turned to look down at the limp body of Mezu and then towards Gozu. Gozu bowed respectfully to the ancient being and stated, "The youkai have come to take over the world. They killed Mezu and tried to get past the Gate of the Afterlife."

She watched as lies sprouted from Gozu's mouth.

It had been a trap.

By manipulating Gozu to summon the demon of mass destruction, Noboru intended for Gozu to blame youkai. With the Zero Division prepared for battle, it did indeed look like they were about to take over the Gate of the Afterlife. Noboru had timed it perfectly to frame them.

Black eyes turned red in a flicker. The demon raised his two swords into the air.

"Retreat!" Kagome yelled out in desperation. She didn't know anything about this demon. What were his powers, what was he capable of? She saw in slow motion as the demon swung his sword. There would not be enough time for the others to escape. Placing a barrier around as many officer's as possible in a short amount of time, she watched in shock as the rest were wiped out in a single swing. Their bodies disintegrated into dust as the light from the sword hit them.

Escaping from the cave, the remaining officers followed her back to regroup and inform their General.

A cold sweat dripped from her forehead.

The demon of mass destruction was here.

##

 **Author's Note: I am so glad many are enjoying this story.**

 **Your reviews are cherished and appreciated.**


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter Twenty-one – Battle**

A barrier surrounded the cave as youkai ki illuminated the surrounding. Hundreds of officers circled the cave as they combined their barriers up to stall the demon within. A thundering earthquake vibrated through the grounds reaching the edge of the forest. The demon was not pleased.

The information of what occurred was transferred to the General. Officers stood on guard, waiting for their General's orders.

Crack. The demon could not be contained by a mere barrier.

"The demon will reach the humans in the city. We will have to evacuate them." Kagome inserted her thoughts.

"Our existence will be exposed to the human population," a Zero Division Officer said.

Kagome looked to the barrier that was slowly cracking. "Even if we didn't expose ourselves, the demon will. It will only destroy everything in it's way."

"Get Saito on the line. Inform him of everything." The General pointed at an officer who scurried away to do as ordered. "Kitsune, find Noboru's location. The rest will focus on containing the demon."

Sesshomaru glanced at her. A hesitance stopped him. She noticed. He commanded, "Complete the mission."

She was to extract the miasma from Gozu. It was the only way to stop the demon of mass destruction. Once Gozu was not manipulated anymore, he would be able to inform the demon of his lies. Giving a sharp nod, she regrouped with her team.

His gaze followed her for a moment longer.

"The General has given orders to complete our mission," Kagome informed her team and doctors that stood in front of her. She saw Hikaru's brow rise as he input, "Sooooo, we are supposed to take down the most ancient being that was created to be more powerful than any existence in order to protect the Gate of the Afterlife?"

"Yeah," Kagome said unfazed. Her confidence proved to ease the stress off the doctors. Itsuki spoke up, "We cannot use the same strategy to extract the miasma this time. Noboru and Gozu are probably aware of our tactics now."

Kagome nodded her head in agreement. They needed a new plan.

Crack.

And fast.

A female neko youkai stepped forwards wearing her lab coat. She reported, "I did a quick basic scan of Gozu while we were in the cave." Pulling out a circular device, a hologram of Gozu's live scans appeared. The doctor continued, "There was never enough research on what Gozu was, so I thought it would helpful to see for myself. The scans show that he does not function like human nor youkai. There is no type of organs similar to our kind. His life functions with a stream of reiki similar to the Miko's."

Kagome eyed the trail of energy that circulated Gozu's body. Kagome listened to the doctor's findings. "It seems the reason why Noboru had to use the ancient well was because it takes centuries to completely manipulate Gozu with his miasma."

Pointing at the energy circulation towards Gozu's brain, the doctor explained, "The miasma is most likely in the brain now. Honestly speaking, with a brain unlike human nor youkai, we do not know how to extract the miasma."

Kagome tapped her finger against her cheeks as she processed the information. "If you say that Gozu has a similar energy force as mine, but one that just doesn't purify, then he would receive my reiki without any harm, correct?"

The neko youkai furrowed her brows and examined the hologram of Gozu once more. "I believe so."

"I can purify the miasma that is manipulating Gozu then." Kagome confirmed.

"And how do you plan on getting that close to Gozu without him knowing?" Hikaru asked as he crossed his arms in dissatisfaction.

Kagome stared at her wonderful team and smirked. "Distraction."

##

"The Commissioner has begun the evacuation." The officer reported to the General. "The human police force are told not to interfere until needed."

The remaining barrier around the cave crumbled away as the vibrations of the earth grew violent. Flashes of light shot across the clearing and disintegrated those in the way. The deadly sound of Bakusaiga being drawn caused a chill down the officers. For the General to draw his sword, it had been quite some time.

Sesshomaru scanned the stone demon as it stomped onwards. Everything in it's path was destroyed by the light it omitted. Trees fell as the ground crumbled, disoriented. The stone figure raised it's sword once more into the air for attack. Swinging downwards directed to the crowd of officers, it's sword halted midway from completing the destruction it had set out to do. Electricity sizzled against the blade as an inuyoukai blocked his attack with a single sword. Pushed back, the demon watched youkai in their true forms targeting him from above. Stone arms reached and grabbed them, crushing them within one grasp.

Bakusaiga swung as energy crashed into the demon. Smoke rose to the sky. The clearing went silent. The fog soon cleared revealing the demon appearing unfazed by their General's most powerful attack.

A heavy pause rested on the troops.

Golden eyes narrowed.

A wave of youkai ki alerted the officers.

The sound of a distant buzz grew louder and louder until a loom of black clouds hovered over the sky as youkai from the underworld were released. The sunlight blocked off as the forest was consumed by darkness. Millions of low-ranking youkai shot out from the black cloud. Officer's scrambled to defend themselves while also dodging the demon's attacks in fear of disintegrating into dust.

Gozu had opened up the Gate of the Afterlife.

"Regroup," the General's orders reached the ears of each officer. Aligned in order once more, a barrier was erected around them. Aimless low-ranking youkai shot from the sky and slammed into the barrier. A stoic mask rested on his face, unfazed by the chaos that stood outside the barrier. He directed teams and divided them strategically to maintain their position. They would not fall back.

The battlefield was drenched in blood. Millions of body parts scattered the scenery. Distant screams of evacuating humans were heard from the city. It seems the youkai released from the afterlife had reached past their defences.

His white haori remained completely pristine as those in his way were slaughtered in a single swipe. The stone demon had not been able to harm him, but the same result went both ways. The ancient demon stood unharmed by any attacks. Not a single crack barred his body or armour. The battle remained the same. Neither armies were advancing nor retreating.

Each passing hour, a coldness seeping deeper into his eyes. He needed to know she was okay.

##

The only sounds in the cave was that of the wind howling. The darkness blinded everything else. The puddle of blood continued to grow larger as liquid oozed out from Mezu's stone-like body. Gozu stood still, his mission completed. Suddenly, the view of a figure flying at high speed straight towards him was noticed.

Hikaru held Kannako as he flew right at Gozu. Swinging Kannako towards their target, Hikaru snatched the spear from Gozu's hand. Kannako kicked Gozu straight in the stomach as she shot several bullets at him before making a back flip and keeping distance. Gozu tilted his head to the side as he brushed off the bullets Kannako had shot. The bullets did not affect him at all.

Gozu blocked the gunshots fired at him with his arm. Kannako continued to fire until she emptied her gun. Hikaru flew across Gozu and bounded his limbs together with a rope. A grunt sounded from the guardian as it seemed they were starting to annoy him. Falling to his knees, rocks fell from the ceiling of the cave in a rumble. Gozu motioned his hand towards the Gate of the Afterlife.

Kannako shouted, "No!" Hikaru tried to tighten the rope around Gozu but failed to do so in time. A bright light reflected from the Gates as it opened. Kannako and Hikaru evacuated just in time before a burst of low-ranking youkai shot out from the Gates.

The sudden burst of youkai ki blew off Itsuki's illusion spell causing his presence to be caught by Gozu.

"Where is the Miko?" Gozu mouthed out Noboru's question.

"Right here!" Kagome yelled as a shot of reiki blasted into the side of Gozu's head. Her arm reached through his head as a roar echoed from Gozu's mouth. Hikaru struggled to tighten the ropes that restrained Gozu. Itsuki and Kannako grabbed onto Hikaru's grasp and helped him pull.

Centuries worth of miasma had consumed the guardian. She felt the miasma spreading fast in order to kill the guardian before she could save him.

Gritting her teeth, she seethed, "I don't think so." The pulse of her reiki flared to life as she purified at a faster rate than the miasma spread. "Come on," she mumbled to herself as sweat trailed down her forehead.

The miasma wasn't giving up with a fight. Kagome watched as Gozu's pupil rolled back and started to shake. She couldn't fail her mission. She couldn't let Gozu die.

Blood drained from her face leaving her ghostly pale. She poured all her reiki into the tunnel of her arms. The miasma that tried to run from her was soon consumed and purified.

Done.

The pink glow from her hands faded as she dropped in exhaustion. Hikaru caught her and said, "Are you okay?"

Kagome weakly nodded her head and watched as Itsuki checked on Gozu.

"He's alive, just unconscious." Itsuki reported.

The Gates of the Afterlife closed abruptly as the few remaining low-ranked youkai escaped the cave. Kagome breathed out, "We need to get Gozu to the demon."

Hikaru wrapped his arms around her waist to help her stand. He informed her, "We will have to wait until Gozu regains consciousness."

She tried to supress the urgency she felt. She knew Sesshomaru was fighting a battle, stalling the stone demon until Gozu could subdue it. However, what Hikaru said was true. They couldn't do anything until Gozu woke up.

"Be on guard," she voiced cautiously. "Noboru is bound to send his men to finish what the miasma could not."

##

 **Author's Note: Thank you for reading!**

 **Your reviews are cherished and appreciated.**


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter Twenty-Two – War**

Quick footsteps breezed by the green grass which covered the entire forest, leaving behind only a faint sound of rustling. Silent signals were made between the youkai rebels. The moonlight reflected their figures as shadows rushed swiftly through the thick trees. The appearance of the cave was soon sighted by the Leader. Fudo, the one who led the youkai rebel and was second to Noboru. Black stripes adored his cheeks revealing his breed of the mighty tiger clan. He crouched and held his hand out to pause the other's footsteps.

A fire to keep them warm lit the cave. Fudo watched the foolish Zero Division camped around the fire and talking to one another unguarded. He noticed the Miko who he encountered when Masaru was taken from the youkai rebel. It seems she was always in the way. He focused on the unconscious Gozu, their target. They didn't think Noboru would send others to finish off Gozu. How foolish of them.

"Kill them all," the youkai rebels heard their leader instruct. Signaled to attack, the group of twenty charged forwards. Entering the cave, the trained assassins shot at the figures surrounding the fire.

Suddenly, the great cave that led to the Gate of the Afterlife turned into fog and disappeared along with twenty of his men. Fudo watched the scene before him unfold before he could even act. The fog slowly evaporated and revealed their current location in the middle of the forest.

"Illusions," Fudo sneered in anger. It seems he had underestimated the Miko once again. Snapping out orders, he moved onwards to continue his mission. He would be the one to kill the Miko. He promised.

##

Kagome glanced towards the west where the sound of gunshots echoed in the night. She had been right. Noboru sent others to finish off Gozu.

Thankfully, Itsuki had set out several illusion traps within the forest, but it was only a matter of time before they were found. Kagome glanced at the unconscious guardian. She informed her team, "By the time they find us, their numbers will be low."

"We can take them on," Hikaru said breezily.

Kagome watched the moon shine in the clear sky. She whispered, "I need you to rest then. I'll stand watch."

With no room for arguments, Itsuki, Kannako and Hikaru rested their eyes. Placing a barrier at the foot of the entrance, she gazed past the thick forest into the abyss.

She calculated by dawn the youkai rebels would be able to track them down more easily. Placing the communicator in her ear, she waited for the line to open.

"Kagome," she heard his voice through the device. The sound eased her heart, her shoulders relaxed a bit, the burden a little less heavy. She replied softly, "I'm safe."

She knew he was worried. "I am still at the cave. We managed to successfully remove the miasma from Gozu, but he is unconscious. We don't have to manpower to move him to safety. Noboru has sent several of his youkai rebels to exterminate him, but we've placed up illusions and traps to deter them for a while longer."

"I'll send for backup," his stoic tone finally revealed a hint of worry.

"You can't," she breathed out. "They won't be able to find us through the traps and illusions."

She had gone through the dangers of strategizing their plan this way. Her team knew of the risks. No one could find them, but that also meant no one could come rescue them.

A growl sounded from the other line. He was frustrated. Annoyed that she was placed in danger. Annoyed that he wasn't by her side.

"General, all the low-ranking youkai have been exterminated." The sound of an officer echoed in the background. She knew he needed to be fully focused on the battlefield. Though she wanted to hear his voice for a little while longer, she whispered softly, "Please be safe."

The communicator ended.

'I love you.'

Holding on to the device, she felt the last of it's energy give out. She would have to make it out of this mission alive in order to see him again.

Rustle.

The distant sound of footsteps alerted her. Eyeing the entrance of the cave, she watched with her breath hitched as a youkai rebel scouted the clearing. No one should be able to see the cave entrance with Itsuki's illusions. Outsiders would only see layers of trees.

She released her breath once she saw the youkai rebel pass by the entrance.

They had a little while longer to rest.

##

A hand shook her awake. Hikaru had switched places with her and stood guard towards the end of the night. Sleep quickly caught up to her after her using so much of her reiki to heal Gozu. A groan sounded from her lips. The eyelids refused to open as she mumbled, "Five more minutes."

Having heard his voice last night had taken away all the anxiety she felt.

"Leader, Gozu has awaken." Her eyes fluttered open after hearing that sentence. Shooting up, she looked for the guardian. Standing tall before her, Gozu was awake and well. With the miasma gone, he appeared the kind and protective guardian that she knew him to be.

"He's been updated on what has happened," Kannako reported. Gozu lowered his head in shame. His gaze lingering on his dead brother, Mezu. The mournful expression on his face was apparent. Kagome hushed, "It wasn't you. It was Noboru."

Gozu gave a slight nod in acknowledgment. Whether the Miko's words affected him or not, his expression did not change.

"Once we leave the cave, the youkai rebels will be alerted of our location within minutes," Kagome said. "Our mission is to get Gozu to the battlefield safely and alive."

Her team members nodded their heads in understanding. They were assigned their duties and finalized the outline of their mission. Hikaru flew upwards with their leader and placed her on Gozu's shoulder.

"Let's go," she told him causing the guardian to move forwards. Each step caused the earth to rumble. Outside the cave for the very first time, Gozu walked onwards without looking back. Kagome learned to steady herself on his shoulders and braced herself when he took a step. The distant shouts of youkai rebel alerting their leader reached her ears. Kagome couldn't ignore the fact that she was impressed at their leader's speed in finding them.

Fudo stood in front of them blocking their way to the battlefield. He did not plan to let them pass. His rebel troops lined up behind him. He watched in annoyance as the Miko and the guardian did not change their pace. Lifting his gun aimed at the Miko, he snarled, "You will not pass. I will not fail this mission that was given to me by my master, Noboru."

Kagome tilted her head to the side and wondered what the tiger youkai was muttering about. She could not hear him at all up on Gozu's shoulder. Kagome asked, "Gozu, can anything harm you?"

"No."

A small smile tugged on her lips. It had been silly of her to worry when Gozu was on their side now. Kagome watched as the youkai rebels attacked the foot of Gozu since they could not reach any further. A giggle sounded from her lips as she saw the youkai rebels being treated as ants.

"Leader!" Hikaru yelled as he flew towards her and kicked a youkai rebel from behind her. The youkai rebel screamed as it plummeted to the earth.

"Thanks," she breathed out in shock. Her eyes searched for the tiger youkai. "Hikaru… the tiger. Where is the leader?"

He soared around the stone guardian and found the tiger crawling up the side of Gozu. Hikaru narrowed his eyes and returned to his leader's side. He reported, "He is on the left side making his way up."

She nodded. "Go look out for Itsuki and Kannako. I'll be fine."

Hikaru hesitated before responding to his leader's order.

Reaching for her belt, she loaded the gun. Aiming the gun towards the side Hikaru informed the tiger was crawling up, she stood prepared to fire. Immediately, the hairs on her back tingled at the youkai ki she felt behind her. Dodging the claws that aimed from behind her, she swung her feet and knocked over the tiger's balance. Fudo dug his claws into the stones as he barred his fangs in anger.

The sound of the gun cock was drowned out by the gust of wind that blew past them. The scenery below blurred as Gozu kept the same speed, approaching the battlefield. The fall from where they stood was a deadly one. Kagome eyed Fudo who stood with no weapons in his hands. Unarmed, what did he think he was doing?

He crouched and pounced towards her with his claws.

Kagome fired her gun. Several shots pushed back Fudo a few steps. A grunt sounded from his lips as blood trailed down his chin. A sudden move caught her off guard. Fudo jumped towards her, grabbed her and fell.

The sensation of falling brought a tingling in her stomach.

He wasn't supposed to be able to move in such high speed with his wounds. She felt the wave of hate emitting from him as his claws punctured into her skin. Her hands clenched onto the grappling hook and releasing it into the air. Gozu, aware of the situation grabbed the hook which tore the Miko away from Fudo. Kagome hung in the air as she watched the tiger youkai fall to his death. Gozu lifted her back onto his shoulders and said, "We are near."

Her attention diverted to the scene before her.

"Woah," Hikaru said in shock. Itsuki and Kannako stood frozen as they joined her on Gozu's shoulder.

Everything appeared black. Smoke rose from the buildings set aflame. The stench of decayed flesh invaded her nostrils. Distant shrieks and cries echoed from the deserted city. The demon that caused all this destruction stood at the center. Those left alive continued their battle against the demon.

"Ancient one," Gozu sounded desperately. The motion of the demon halted. Sorrow etched in his voice as he pleaded, "I was manipulated by the one called Noboru. He made me kill my brother, Mezu, and blame it upon the youkai. They were actually trying to save me from such manipulation. Those standing before you are innocent."

Two swords fell limp at his sides as he turned to look at Gozu. "Youkai have not come to take over?"

Gozu shook his head.

"Humans then?"

Gozu again, shook his head.

"Then we shall return." The demon concluded as it made it's way back. A mixture of humans and youkai stood in the battlefield filled with awe as they saw the interaction.

"We should rid the world of these aliens. Look at what they have done to us," the chief officer vented in trauma of what had occurred. The human froze in fear as the demon they had battled turned around once more.

The ancient demon, created by kami, voiced, "My creation was to keep the balance of my master's world. I was awaken by the news that youkai wished to take over. Should humans decide to lead the same fate, I will finish what I have started and destroy this world."

Gozu kneeled, lowering Kagome and her team to the ground. She watched as Gozu and the ancient demon head back to the cave.

"You are bleeding," his voice sounded from behind. Turning around, she saw the anger behind his hardened eyes. She glanced at the claw marks the tiger inflicted on both her shoulders.

It didn't hurt.

Giving into the needs of her heart, she reached for his hand and placed it against her cheeks. His warmth sent tingling sensations over her exhausted body. Snuggling against his hand, she closed her eyes. His thumb stroked the side of her cheek.

How long would she be able to remain like this?

They both knew…

This was just the beginning of the war.

##

 **Your reviews are cherished and appreciated.**


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter Twenty-Three – Results**

The faint smell of smoke stained the air as pieces of ash fluttered, carried by the wind. A thick fog moved between the empty city, deserted by the humans that once occupied it. Surrounded by deteriorating tall structures, Zero Division had set up base in the core of the city. Tents scattered the clearing as officers walked with purpose to complete their duties. Low murmurs of strategies and battle tactics echoed throughout the base.

Her ears drowned out the voices, the footsteps, the franticness.

She remained still.

Staring out into the fog that covered the rest of the city, her mind wandered off.

There were many things she needed to process. Noboru will be on the verge of mania since his plans with the demon of mass destruction had failed. His next steps to destroy the Earth will be irrational and unpredictable. It was near impossible to plan a strategy. Without a strategy, that leaves them vulnerable when the attack comes.

Black boots stepped over the remaining rubbles on the ground and stopped at her side. Golden eyes followed her gaze and watched the mysteries behind the fog. His arm brushed against her's, providing her with the only warmth for the sun could not reach her. She leaned closer to him until their arms were side by side.

Many thoughts and fears that protruded her mind were calmed by his silent presence. A tender smile appeared on her lips as she basked in the heat he provided.

The mist surrounded them, leaving the two in their own world blocked off from the rest. Through the fabric that separated them, she felt his muscles along his arm tense.

Noboru has come.

She met his gaze and recognized the flicker of emotion behind them. He remembered her death. Her fingers entwined with his, slowly returning the warmth he provided her. Her expression softened as she promised tenderly, "This isn't like before. You will be here with me this time."

If he didn't have Tenseiga…

He tightened his hold on her hand, unwilling to let her go.

How did it end up this way?

His sanity ended up in the hands of a fragile human who was bound to succumb to mortality one day.

He felt her tug him towards the base. A stoic mask hardened his expression as he hid the thoughts in his mind. The stench of miasma was closing in. Returning to his post, officers waited for his direction. He watched from the corner of his eye as Kagome stood by her team members. Teams of snipers were sent to several locations in the city. The remaining teams included of Shippo's and Kagome's team where they would follow the General. Their target was to detain and mobilize the youkai rebel.

Kagome stood by Shippo as her team members took their stances prepared for attack. Sesshomaru stood in front of them as they waited for their target's arrival.

Purple aura mixed in with the fog. The blurred figure took his time approaching the city core. Hundreds of silhouettes appeared through the mist. His footsteps paused bringing the whole youkai rebel to a halt. Anger was clearly written across his face. Mania portrayed through his eyes. He was here to end it all. Insanity and the desperation for destruction brought out a wild yell from his lips. Noboru pointed at her and charged forwards. The youkai rebel followed their leader and ran towards the Zero Division.

Kagome watched in pain as snippers shot down the front line. Youkai rebels dropped to the ground before they could reach them. Noboru ran onwards, not caring for his men. His eyes only glared at her direction. A chill shot down her spine. Suddenly, her sight of Noboru was blocked by Sesshomaru's back.

General orders were that no one interfered for he would be the one to detain Noboru.

"Protect her," he said towards Shippo. Shippo responded with a curt nod before their General closed in on Noboru. Purple substances turned into millions of sharp spikes and shot at the Inuyoukai in the way. Sesshomaru stood still within centimeters of the attack. Then with a single swing of Bakusaiga, officers watched in awe as the purple substances deteriorated into dust.

Soon the youkai rebels outnumbered the sniper's and reached the city core. The youkai rebels closing in, Kagome saw the wildness in their eyes as if they were feral creatures. Her hands raised, a wall of reiki blocked the rebel's path. Rows and rows of youkai purified on contact with the wall of reiki; their second line of defense. Hundreds of rebels continued onwards, stepping on the dead bodies of their comrades like savages.

"Prepare!" Shippo shouted. Waiting for the rebels to inch closer, a pause silenced the officers. Rebels broke through their last line of defense and ran at them. Closer and closer, the ground vibrated from their footsteps.

"Attack!" As soon as Shippo stated his commands, a blast of youkai ki surrounded them. Kagome watched in shock as some officers took to their youkai form and slaughtered the rebels in their way. She noted a rebel that had gotten past some officers and headed towards her. Its claw raised as it tried to slit her throat. She dodged to the right and kicked the rebel straight in the ribs causing him to cough up blood. A single bullet shot through his head as the rebel dropped to the ground. Raising her gun, she fired at the rebels that approached her. Itsuki, Kannako and Hikaru stood behind her protecting her blind spots.

The chaos the battle caused drove out the thick layers of fog. Soon rays of sunlight hit the bloody battlefield, exposing to all the cost of life this war has caused. It did not take long before the Zero Division mobilized the youkai rebels into a corner and arrested those still alive. The youkai rebels who were not trained in battle nor fighting had only joined to fight the cause they believed in; to destroy humans and take over the world. They were not skilled nor equipped as the Zero Division was. They would not have been able to outmatch the Zero Division.

Noboru stood on his own, no longer a whole army behind him. Some damage had been done as blood dripped down his body. His strikes were no longer calculated but lashed out in rage. Though the inuyoukai blocked all his attacks, millions and millions of more spikes were produced in a fury to kill. He needed blood. He wanted the one that ruined his plans dead. Hatred consumed his mind and heart.

Stab.

Kagome screamed in fear as she watched a spike pierce through Sesshomaru's shoulder. She couldn't just stand still. Her feet took her towards the battle, hoping to reach him in time.

Bakusaiga sliced the spike off as his mask remained unfazed at the injury. Changing his stance, he prepared to finish off the annoying creature Noboru was. Suddenly, he caught Noboru's gaze turned away from him for the first time as a smirk tugged at his lips.

What.

From the corner of his eye, he caught the Miko headed towards them.

No.

Fear slammed against his chest in great force. He saw the millions of spikes headed towards her in blurred speed. Noboru's desire to kill her outweighed his own life. Left vulnerable, Sesshomaru ran towards the distracted creature and plunged Bakusaiga through the heart of Noboru hoping he was in time.

Splatter.

Blood dripped to the ground.

Blue eyes widened in shock. Splatters of blood smeared across her pale white face. Tears streamed down her cheeks at the sight before her. Spikes pierced through every inch of Shippo's body as he stood in front of her. Blood fell from his lips as he kept a smile on his face.

Slam.

The sound of Noboru's lifeless body falling to the ground echoed in the clearing.

Officers watched in shock as their leader blocked Noboru's attack with his own body to protect the Miko.

A grunt sounded from his lips as Shippo fell to his knees. Trembling hands reached out to hold him. Her throat constricted as she was left unable to breathe. Tears poured down her face as she panicked.

Sesshomaru reached Kagome's side and pulled out the Tenseiga.

Shippo slowly shook his head side to side. He breathed out faintly, "I don't want that."

His breathing grew heavier as a pool of blood drenched his knees and clothing. Kagome couldn't speak. What did he mean? What was he saying? Why didn't he want to use Tenseiga?

A sad smile remained on his lips. Staring at the Mother figure she had been to him in the feudal era, he confessed, "I want to be with her. I need to see my wife again."

Ever since she died, he wanted to go with her. But he promised her that he would live life to the fullest until it was his time to depart. This was the moment. He couldn't live on without her.

Itsuki knelt by his Father's side and bowed his head in understanding, "Father."

"No…" her words slipped out hysterically as she begged, "No, please no! Please, Shippo." She watched in disbelief as his eyes slowly closed and his last breath released.

A tortured scream strangled her throat as she held onto him. The spikes that remained in Shippo's body pierced through her skin as she embraced him tightly. Smelling her blood, Sesshomaru pulled her away from the kitsune. She struggled from his grasp and clung onto Shippo even tighter. She didn't care for the deep gashes that were made along her arms. The pain that gripped her chest was the only pain she was consumed by. Sesshomaru ripped her away from Shippo and held her. Hysterical cries left her mouth as she struggled to reach Shippo's side once more.

Sesshomaru wrapped his arms around her and kept her in his embrace. Her face buried in his chest as tears soaked his haori. Her cries continued as he patiently waited for her.

Noboru was dead, but the cost was too damaging for her to handle.

She couldn't understand.

She didn't want to understand.

Shippo was gone.

##

 **Author's Note: Thank you for being patient!**

 **Your reviews are cherished and appreciated.**


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter Twenty-Four - Stuck**

A blanket wrapped around her as she buried herself from the world. Whether it was day or night, whether it had been days or weeks, she had lost track.

Her body fell limp against the surface of her bed.

Blank eyes stared out into the abyss.

She didn't need to go to work. The youkai rebels were no longer a threat.

She couldn't eat. The image of Shippo's shredded body made nothing in her stomach stay down.

She no longer slept. The thoughts of Shippo's decision repeated in her head.

Sesshomaru came by her room often to check up on her, but he couldn't do anything. She refused to face him. She refused to get better.

His footsteps approached her. This time in determination. Feeling the blanket ripped away from her, her eyes widened in shock. A gust of wind and sunlight touched her skin, which had remained untouched for days. She saw the frustration in his eyes as he pinned her down to face him. She didn't want to look at him.

Holding her chin between his fingers, he forced her gaze towards him. Many emotions swirled in her eyes. His grip on her loosened as his stoic mask melted away to reveal the frustrations of watching her act this way. She stared at him with a brokenness causing a piece of him to break away as well. He didn't know what to do. The only thing he could say was a plea. His voice carried sorrow as he whispered, "Kagome, please."

He couldn't see her like this.

Another piece of him broke away.

For the first time in days, he heard her voice.

"Sesshomaru…"

She bit her lips, preventing her from speaking her next words. He brushed his hand against her cheek, telling her that he was listening.

"After I die, would you wait for death like Shippo did?"

Did she want to know the answer to her question?

His body froze. His blood grew cold. His gaze informed her that he already knew the answer.

Yes.

Sesshomaru flinched as he saw an indescribable pain tear through her expression. A sob ripped past her lips before she pulled the blanket around her once more and disappeared from his sight.

With a tearful voice, she trembled, "I want to go home."

Masking the pain, he nodded his head.

Stepping out of her room, he sent for the driver to prepare a ride. Workers scurried around to prepare for Kagome's departure. He stood at the entrance and watched her exit the house. A flicker of pain fleeted across his face as he saw how thin she had become. Dark circles underneath her eyes as her expression remained almost lifeless.

She stepped into the car without sparing him a glance. He watched the car leave his property and waited.

What was this uncertainty that he felt?

His eyes followed the back window of the car.

'Look back.'

With the view of the vehicle no longer in sight, a crack appeared on his stoic mask. His lips faltered as sadness seeped through.

##

A grunt passed her lips as she hauled groceries in both hands. Fumbling with the house keys, she somehow got the front door to open. Pushing the entrance open with her hips, she quickly lay the heavy bags onto the kitchen counter.

"Mom, I'm home," she announced her presence as she started to put away the ingredients she brought home. Opening the fridge, she rested for a bit to cool off the sweat she built up. With a pause came the unwanted thoughts.

She had returned home for a month now. She hadn't gone to work during that time. He didn't come visit her during that time as well. Her family was the one who had given her the will to recover. After a week, she slowly began to eat regularly. After the next, she began to adventure outside of her bed.

Kagome pulled out of her thoughts after catching the sound of low murmurs. The sweat had already cooled off as she quietly closed the fridge doors. Inching towards the living room, she noticed her Mother talking on the phone with a serious expression.

"She appears to be doing better. She goes out of the house more often and eats her meals regularly. I've tried to push her to start going to work, but she still rejects the notion."

Leaning against the wall, she hid her presence. Her brows furrowed into a frown. Why was her Mother talking about her?

"No, she hasn't talked to me about that incident. When I try to press her for answers, she recoils. I know this has happened because of Shippo's death, but that couldn't be the only reason. I've seen Kagome after the well had closed. It was never this bad."

Kagome released a silent sigh. So, her Mother had caught on. She knew she wouldn't be able to get past her Mother. She knew her too well.

She saw her Mother pause with her lips widened as if she wished to say something. After a few seconds, she heard her Mother confess, "Are you sure you'd like to wait to see her until she brings up your name, Sesshomaru?"

Realization flickered past her eyes. So, her Mother was giving Sesshomaru updates about her. Her gaze lowered as she tried to ignore the warmth that washed over her. Ah, Sesshomaru was waiting to come see her until she was ready. Closing her eyes, she pushed off from the wall and revealed her presence to her Mother.

"Kagome, you're back," her Mother smiled towards her.

Returning a small smile, she said, "Ask me again the questions I've been ignoring."

From the water that swelled in her eyes, Kagome knew her Mother had patiently waited for her to heal. Sitting by her side on the living room couch, her Mother held her hands. "I only wish to know what is truly going on in your head, Kagome."

A sad smile appeared on her lips as her eyes grew distant. She remembered Shippo's death. She remembered the words he spoke which broke her heart. A hollowness sounded in her voice as she exposed the thoughts that swirled in her mind since Shippo's death.

"Mom… Shippo told me about his wife. How they met, how they fell in love and how she died. Whenever he talked to me about his wife, I saw the sorrow and pain he suffered when she left him." Unconscious tears fell from her eyes as she continued, "Shippo had the choice to be revived by the Tenseiga after he saved me… but he chose death. He wanted to be with his wife."

Kagome gripped onto her Mother's hand. An unforgiving stab of pain pierced at her heart. Her sight blurred from the tears that poured from her eyes.

"Compared to youkai, a human's life span is nothing…and when I asked Sesshomaru if he would wait for death like Shippo did if I were to die…he couldn't say no."

The memory of his reaction slowly killed her like a poison.

Her voice resounded the agony she felt within, "How could I be with someone knowing what will happen to them after I leave. How could I be with him when my life span is a mere second compared to his?"

Nightmares haunted her. Sesshomaru laying in a pool of his own blood…asking for death to come retrieve him. She feared every time she closed her eyes of the image that would torture her heart.

She loved him so much she was afraid for him.

A splatter of liquid fell upon her hand causing Kagome to return her gaze towards her Mother. Blue eyes widened as she saw a loving smile upon her Mother's lips while tears poured down her face. The tenderness of her Mother's voice soothed her aching heart. "How are you so like your Father?"

Her Mother's hand stroked her cheeks. "Before I married your Father, I knew your Father had cancer and only had a few years to live."

Kagome sat in shock as her Mother told her a story about her Father she had never heard of before.

"I was the one who proposed to him because like you, he couldn't bear leaving me behind. But Kagome, daughter, I would have never experienced such joy and happiness in my lifetime if I hadn't married your Father. The little amount of time we had was blissful. So please, don't strip Sesshomaru of this chance at happiness."

She was at a loss.

Could she truly make Sesshomaru happy this way?

She remembered how Sesshomaru withdrew from the world when he witnessed her death and was revived through Tenseiga. He grew cold to everyone else and no longer slept. He busied himself with work and had placed a wall up to keep everyone out.

"Mom, I want to talk to Sesshomaru."

##

 **Thank you for reading.**

 **Your reviews are cherished and appreciated.**


	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter Twenty-Five – Promise**

Human military officers joined the Zero Division in a meeting to discuss future plans. It seemed the threat from the demon of mass destruction had forced humans to accept youkai into their society. Though the balance was still off, humans did not oppose to the existence of youkai. The media portrayed the youkai as a race who had stopped the demon of mass destruction from chaos. Youkai have become hero's in the eyes of the world.

Officers sat in silence with a visible tension. The air grew heavy as the Commissioner, Saito, wiped the sweat dripping from his forehead with a handkerchief. Their General sat at the front of the table and gave off a cold aura causing everyone else in the room to shrink back a little.

His eyes were blank as he gazed past the table of officers. His head was not focused on the meeting. His ears heard nothing from the humans who spoke.

It had been a month since she left him.

Clawed hands clenched the arm rest of the chair.

She did not want to see him.

Crack.

The tension of the room was too much. Saito clenched his hold on the handkerchief and stuttered, "P-Perhaps we-we can post-p-pone our meeting f-for a later date?"

Silence.

Suddenly, Sesshomaru stood from his seat causing officers to flinch. He walked out of the room which concluded the meeting.

Within the walls of his office, he closed his eyes. Releasing a silent sigh, he hoped the grip around his chest would loosen. He wanted to see her. Countless times he had caught himself at the shrine prepared to take her back and lock her up within his home. Countless times he had to restrain himself from visiting her.

He knew he couldn't see her until she was ready.

The memory of her ghostly white skin, her deathly thin body, her exhausted expression, it stopped him. She wasn't doing well in his care. He was one of the reasons why she wasn't doing well.

A pang of pain throbbed against his chest at the thought.

It was only through her family that she was getting better. Through Mrs. Higurashi's updates of Kagome, it kept him sane.

A scoff exited his lips.

Since when had a month felt so long to him?

The silence was interrupted by the sound of his phone ringing. Picking up the phone, he knew who had called. Placing the phone to his ear, he heard the familiar voice of Mrs. Higurashi.

"Sesshomaru."

It became a daily habit to hear her voice inform him how Kagome was doing.

"She wants to see you."

His body tensed at the sentence.

He should feel relieved.

Pause.

His brow furrowed in a state of confusion.

Why then? Why did he feel a sense of dread?

"Come over when you can," Mrs. Higurashi said softly before the sound of the line ending echoed through the phone.

Beep. Beep. Beep. Click.

The blood running through his veins went cold.

What was he so afraid of?

Perhaps being told that his love would forever be one-sided.

The pain in his chest grew unbearable. Grasping for a distraction, a clawed hand slammed against the desk as it dug into the wood. Thorns pricked into his hand drawing blood.

No, he wouldn't let that happen. Even though he knew it wasn't a possibility, his heart did not listen to logic.

A hiss slipped past his lips as he tried to control the pain that cracked past his stoic mask. He panted, almost trying to rid the pain in his chest.

He couldn't breath still.

##

A knock at the door reached her ear.

He was here.

Taking a deep breath, she walked towards the entrance and slowly opened the door. A breeze escaped through the opening as silver strands of hair trailed along in the wind. The white silk fabric of his haori fluttered in the air while both hands remained in his sleeve. She saw the hesitance in his eyes before he returned her gaze. A glint of relief cracked onto his face as he saw her standing before him healthy once again. Grabbing a cardigan, she closed the door behind her and walked towards the shrine.

In silence they walked and reached the Goshinboku. Thick branches appeared to reach to the heavens as leaves swayed to the direction the wind blew. Some leaves were captured by the strong breeze and fluttered wildly until it reached the shrine grounds. Her finger tucked ebony locks of hair behind her ears as she stood before him. Her lowered eyes slowly trailed up to look at him. She saw his gaze staring at the Goshinboku tree with a hint of sorrow. His aura shifted, slowly bearing his thoughts and emotions to only her. Slowly, his shoulders slumped a bit as his lips tilted downwards.

She never wanted to be the reason he would make such an expression. Biting down on her lips, she didn't know what to say anymore.

"I'm sorry."

She was sorry? She was sorry for giving him hope? His eyes grew blank followed by her words. Unable to process the overwhelming waves of emotions that attacked his heart, he shut down. He didn't know what he would do if she was here to reject him.

"Sesshomaru?" He was distancing himself away from her. Why? The empty expression of his caused her heart to ache. Closing the distance between them, she carefully placed a hand on his cold cheeks.

His ears drowned out the surrounding sounds as it clung to every word she said.

He etched the memory of her hand against his cheek.

"Sesshomaru," she called out lovingly to the one who looked at her with hollowness.

He braced himself for the fall.

"I was so scared that you would end up like Shippo once I died. I told myself that I should just try to give you up before it led to that…." Her voice wavered as she carried her sorrow. His golden eyes stared back at her with such agony. Her fingers brushed along his jaw line, tenderly wiping away a tear drop. She whispered sadly, "How could I make you have such an expression even while I am alive?"

The emotions broke him. He grasped her hand that touched his cheek. Clenching his eyes shut, he brought her hand to his lips. He already couldn't bear to part from her.

Her voice trembled as she confessed, "I promise to make you happy, Sesshomaru."

His eyes snapped open in shock.

His heart skipped a beat.

"I promise that even after I leave, all the memories I've left behind will want to make you stay alive," the warmth in her voice healed his aching heart.

"I'm sorry for being so selfish, Sesshomaru," a sad smile rested on her lips.

No, if anyone, it was him who was selfish. Resting his forehead against her's, he felt her breath brush against his cheeks. Wrapping an arm around her waist, he pressed her closer to his body. Inches away from touching her lips, he said, "You're mine….forever."

Sealing the deal, he pressed his lips against her's.

He would never let her go.

Not even after death.

##

 **Thank you for reading.**

 **Your reviews are cherished and appreciated.**


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